July 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 16

Research
Parks and Recreation: Serving a
Growing, Older Population
By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

oday, our nation is more diverse with greater and contrasting needs and desires. Park and recreation agencies have had to change to ensure that all
members of their communities are able to benefit from their vast holdings of
open space, recreation facilities and service offerings. One area of growing
interest is serving the expanding population of older adults.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
13.0 percent of the U.S. population was
at least 65 years old in 2010. Just five
years later, this percentage had risen to
14.9 percent or 47.8 million people. Population forecasts suggest that the size of
this cohort will expand greatly in the
coming years. The Census Bureau anticipates the 65-plus population will swell to
65.9 million, nearly 38 percent, between
2015 and 2025. This group will grow
even further to 82.3 million by 2040, at
which time it will represent 21.7 percent
of the total U.S. population, and will be
larger than the percentage of the population under the age of 18.
This month, NRPA is releasing a new
research report that takes a look at how
park and recreation agencies throughout
our nation are serving this growing and

Parks & Recreation

increasingly important population. More
than 520 park and recreation professionals responded to a 20-question survey
sent out in May that explored park and
recreation agency offerings geared to
new older adults. What the survey findings tell us is that parks and recreation
is a vital service provider to older adults,
and yet there remains significant opportunity to do much more.
More than nine in 10 park and recreation agencies report that they offer facilities, activities and programming that cater to older adults. Nearly three-quarters
of survey respondents characterize their
agency as the leader, or one of the leaders, in providing services and programming geared to older adults.
These activities vary greatly, including
providing older adults with chances to socialize with others, ways to stay healthy
and active, and opportunities to serve
others in their communities. Following is
a list of activities that are among those
most often geared to older adults:
* Exercise classes (91 percent)
* Field trips, tours, vacations (70 percent)
* Arts and crafts classes (67 percent)
* Opportunities to volunteer at recreation centers (58 percent)
* Special events and festivals targeted to
older adults (58 percent)
* Group walks (53 percent)

| J U LY 2 0 1 7 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

* Opportunities to volunteer in parks (48
percent)
* Paid job opportunities to lead exercise
classes, work in recreation centers or at
parks (47 percent)
Where park and recreation agencies
can make a real, lasting difference is in
providing evidence-based chronic disease prevention and/or management
programs that keep older adults healthy
and active for years to come. Three-quarters of park and recreation agencies offer
these types of programs for older adults
in their communities, including those
focused on enhanced fitness, diabetes
management, living with arthritis and
improving balance.
The wide breadth of service offerings
for older adults from park and recreation
agencies reflect the broad population
served. This includes agencies following
a wide definition of " older adults " when
designing and marketing offerings - in
many cases starting with adults as young
as 50 years old. In fact, for their older
adult programming, 44 percent of park
and recreation agencies target adults as
young as 50 years old, with another 40
percent of agencies targeting those 55
years old. Naturally, the needs and desires of 50 years olds can differ significantly from those of 75 year olds, yet it
is critical that agencies serve both populations well.
Furthermore, park and recreation
agencies may be unique in ensuring that
the needs of underserved older adults
are met. Agencies are a critical, lifesaving resource for lower income communities. They provide low-cost nutri-

July 2017 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2017 - Parks & Recreation