By Jonathan L'Ecuyer
Gloucester seniors give an excellent rating to the city's transportation system, recreational opportunities and senior services — but think there is room for improvement when it comes to making their lives easier in the areas of affordable housing, walking conditions, health services and even shopping options.
Those findings are a result of a University of Massachusetts Boston study measuring the "livability" of senior citizens in several Massachusetts communities, including Gloucester, and were unveiled yesterday morning at the Rose Baker Senior Center.
The overall results depict Gloucester as a highly livable community for its elder population, while noting the decline of the fishing industry has the most negative effect on that livability.
An AARP study recently defined livable communities as having "affordable and appropriate housing, supportive community features and services, and adequate mobility options, which together facilitate personal independence and the engagement of residents in civic and social life."
The UMass-Boston study, headed by Dr. Nina Silverstein and conducted locally by Washington Street resident Diane MacDonald, centered its research on the AARP definition. In April, 13 randomly selected Gloucester seniors were interviewed about "10 indicators of livability" — the city's social services, drivability, walkability, mobility options, housing, shopping, health services, recreation, neighborhood safety and emergency preparedness.
"Overall, Gloucester came out looking very good," MacDonald said yesterday. "It's a beautiful city with lots of services; we have a great community here."
MacDonald said the study focused on the city's downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
More than half the seniors interviewed found it easy to drive around the area, but said several roads need major repair work, including filling potholes, repainting lines and improving signage. Barry Pett, representing the office of state Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, said a number of roads cited in the study as being in poor condition, such as Washington Street, are slated for repairs in the near future.
Pett noted a $3 million project which will provide new pavement for Washington Street from Grant Circle to downtown, including new sidewalks and trees. Seniors in the study complained that several city sidewalks are difficult to navigate because trees and signs are in the middle of them.
The seniors surveyed said they feel secure walking around the city, but find it especially difficult to navigate the Historic District, where uneven brick surfaces pose a serious challenge for those who use walkers or canes.
Housing dominated much of the discussion yesterday. While the city boasts five senior housing units and two long-term care facilities, it offers no assisted living facilities, MacDonald said, adding affordable housing is perhaps the most important area for the city to improve. MacDonald said there should be more housing for those ready to leave behind their single-family homes, but not quite ready to check themselves into a nursing home.
"There's no assisted living facilities, Gloucester fared lowly in that," MacDonald said, "We need more housing for that in-between time. I'm also concerned about the homeless situation, something has to be done about that; we can either put an enormous amount of money into more shelters or to affordable housing."
Housing was of particular interest to Ann Straccia, a private home-care nurse who helps clients connect with resources and services provided locally through the senior center and SeniorCare Inc.
Straccia said she is encouraged by the level of services available to seniors in Gloucester, but added road conditions are bad and need immediate improvements.
Gloucester seniors were most satisfied with recreational opportunities — citing excellent restaurants, library resources, festivals and other activities.
A majority of seniors said they felt safe in their neighborhoods, and believe the Police Department is doing a good job. However, seniors were concerned about fire station closures, drug activity, the possibility of future gang activity and small crimes such as car break-ins, vandalism and traffic violations. Many seniors called for the reinstatement of police foot patrols.
If the study results are any indication, it would appear seniors are generally in favor of bringing more retail outlets and grocery stores to Gloucester. Seniors said the city's drug stores were good, small stores were spread out nicely around the city and it is relatively easy to get needed services. However, seniors called for more groceries to drive competition and reduce prices, more department stores because it is difficult to find affordable clothing and furniture, and more corner stores.
Elderly residents also complained of difficulty finding services for homeowners, such as plumbers, electricians and other contractors.
MacDonald, noting recent attempts by strangers to enter Gloucester seniors' homes, recommended the community should work together to develop a list of trustworthy contractors willing to do work at an affordable price and then provide that list to seniors.
Though MacDonald and Gloucester Council on Aging director Coral Grande invited dozens of residents, business and city officials, only about a dozen people attended the presentation.
MacDonald said she hopes to continue investigating Gloucester's senior livability, independent of the UMass study.
Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
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