Barnstable County Conducting Healthy Aging Survey

HYANNIS – The Barnstable County Department of Human Services has been awarded a grant to research residents’ plans and needs as they age.

The intention is to use this research to identify opportunities for system planning and improvement for seniors and their caregivers on Cape Cod.

Over the course of two years, the Healthy Aging Cape Cod Steering Committee will conduct a regional baseline analysis of factors that impact whether a community is both age-friendly and dementia-friendly.

“People are wanting to move to the Cape to retire, they do want to age in their homes and that’s driving the average age of our residents upwards, north of 50 percent in some communities”, said Barnstable County Department of Human Services Deputy Director Vaira Harik.

The Steering Committee will produce town-specific assessements for all 15 towns of Cape Cod.

They will subsequently create a regional action plan and then work towards becoming an AARP certified “Age-Friendly Region”.

Currently, each town is working to collect baseline information about age and dementia-friendly factors.

To do this, the county is asking people to complete the Healthy Aging-Cape Cod Regional Survey, 2019.

“We want to make sure that our communities and the systems that require to help people age at home and in place are available and in the appropriate quantity for when those needs come to the fore”, said Harik.

The focus of the survey is on residents 50 and older, but anyone is welcome to fill it out.

The ultimate goal for the county is to make Cape Cod a place with systems of care, housing, and education that is affordable and supportive of people of all ages.

The survey can be completed online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Aging-CapeCod-Regional or a paper copy can be filled out at the Council on Aging facility in Harwich.

The deadline to submit responses to the survey is Thursday, February 28th at 4pm.

By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter

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