AARP highlights needs for aging in place, walkable communities
Influential advocacy group AARP has highlighted several of its current lobbying priorities, which include a focus on making it easier for retirees to age in place in their current homes across various states.
In Indiana, for instance, aging in place is a central pillar of a recently published advocacy update. The post said that “improving access to home- and community-based services, such as transportation and adult day services” ranks highly on the organization’s advocacy priorities in the Hoosier State.
“A nearly $1 billion forecasting error last year led to a Medicaid crisis in the state, including lengthy waits for home- and community-based care,” AARP explained. These services allow people to continue living at home independently and are often less costly than institutional care, according to Ambre Marr, AARP Indiana’s legislative director.
“As of October, there were nearly 9,000 people on the waiting list for an HCBS (Home and Community Based Services) program that provides services to adults 60 and over, according to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration,” the article stated.
In response, AARP will aim to encourage state lawmakers to “help the state’s long-term care system meet increasing demands, including HCBS provided through Medicaid, the joint state-federal health insurance program for low-income Americans.”
AARP has also issued its own awards to increase accessibility and livability in certain communities. In an update from its Florida chapter, the organization described issuing grants designed “to make safety improvements in the homes of older residents.” It disbursed an estimated $101,920 across the state for improving accessibility and safety.
Another element that often enters aging-in-place conversations is the concept of enhanced community living by making areas where seniors reside easier to travel as a pedestrian. AARP is focusing some of its advocacy for this goal at the national level and aims to advocate “for improved auto safety features to protect those traveling on foot.”
On Nov. 18, the group issued a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to highlight recent increases in pedestrian deaths from auto collisions, noting that older Americans are at a higher level of risk than others.
“Walking is a component of nearly every trip taken, whether it is the only mode of travel or part of a multimodal trip,” David Certner, AARP’s legislative counsel and legislative policy director, wrote in the letter to the NHTSA. “Incorporating pedestrian safety needs into vehicle design is a critical step toward increasing safety for everyone, including older adults, who are most acutely at risk as pedestrians.”