Caregivers\u27 Considerations on Age-friendly Community Features

As communities strive to create age-friendly accommodations that promote the health and wellbeing of a growing aging citizenry, the concomitant growth of caregivers requires additional planning considerations. Increasingly, persons providing care are managing their own aging and negotiating their community\u27s infrastructure for both themselves as well as on behalf of their aged loved ones. This study reports on the findings from a global age-friendly community effort that examined caregivers\u27 perception of the importance of community features across three clustered domains of community life: the built environment; the social environment; and, community and health supports. The study surveyed caregivers (n = 216) and non-caregivers (n = 135) age 50 and older in a Southeastern United States community in which more than half of the residents are age 50 and older and one-third are age 65 and older. Results indicate significant differences across multiple areas with the greatest differences noted in the areas of housing, community supports, and transportation. The findings suggest that caregivers consider their own prospective needs as well as more efficiently managing the needs of their care recipients. Planning to enhance the community features may subsequently benefit aging persons as well as caregivers