Age-Friendly Roanoke Neighborhood Survey

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Help ensure the City of Roanoke remains an Age-Friendly City!

In December 2017, the City of Roanoke became part of a global network of communities committed to providing older residents the opportunity to live rewarding, productive, and safe lives by earning AARP’s Age-Friendly City designation. The accomplishment recognizes the City as a well-designed, livable community promoting health and sustaining economic growth, resulting in happier, healthier residents of all ages.

As the U.S. population ages and people stay healthy and active longer, communities must adapt. As Roanoke’s population grows, city leaders and program administrators want to be prepared to help residents remain safe and healthy in their homes as they age.

To ensure Roanoke remains an Age-Friendly City, the Local Office on Aging (LOA), the Age-Friendly Roanoke team, and the City Manager’s office want to hear directly from Roanoke residents ages 45+ regarding the accessibility, availability, and condition of housing, transportation, and public places in their neighborhoods. All City of Roanoke residents ages 45+ are invited to complete the survey. The survey can be accessed online by clicking the following link  AFC Roanoke Neighborhood Survey.

There is also the option to complete a paper version of the survey. Survey teams will work closely with local churches, housing communities, and neighborhood organizations to distribute and collect paper surveys. If your organization is interested in assisting, please contact Local Office on Aging, Inc. at 540-345-0451.

Participants who complete the full survey will be given a $5 Walmart gift card. (Online participants will be required to provide an email address to receive the gift card via email. Limit one gift card per person and two cards per email address.) All participants providing contact information at the completion of the survey will also be eligible to participate in two cash prize drawings for $250 each on November 20 and December 21. Winners will be notified by the Local Office on Aging.

The goal is to collect responses from 500 residents representing all City of Roanoke neighborhoods. Collected responses will assist the City in identifying what makes a neighborhood age-friendly and help prioritize issues to be addressed. Survey results will also assist LOA and the Age-Friendly Roanoke team advocate for the needs of Roanoke’s older residents. All information collected will be kept confidential. Researchers at Virginia Tech will analyze the results.

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto.com/SeanPavane
Article was written by the Local Office on Aging in Roanoke