Senior Citizen leaders hears survey results

By Kathryn Rice

Northwest Missouri State University Professor Dr. Sue Myllykangas and Assistant Professor Dr. Augustus Hallmon presented a summary of the Nodaway County Active Adult and Caregiver Needs Assessment survey at a recent Nodaway County Senior Center board meeting.

Myllykangas was the project chair and Hallmon acted as the data chair for Northwest student Heather Young’s graduate project. The survey was developed with the assistance of Northwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging (AAA) CEO Rebecca Flaherty. Hallmon’s data analysis was kept separate from the functions of making and giving out the survey, which leads to validity and verifiability.

Myllykangas said the results were to be looked at as an opportunity for the Nodaway County Senior Center and board to grow in the future.

Federal taxpayer money garnered through the Aging Services Network and the Older American’s Act is distributed by AAA in the 18 counties in northwest Missouri. AAA does not provide direct services, it only provides funding.

Between 2000 and 2030, the Nodaway County population is estimated to grow 6.7 percent, while the number of residents age 60 and over are estimated to grow nearly 50 percent.

The variables covered in the needs assessment were good nutrition, health, mobility, transportation, legal issues, lack of information, feeling lonely, sad or isolated, financial problems, fear, depression and/or anxiety, victim of crime, housing and providing care for someone. These are all areas AAA funds through programs.

The response rate was 42.7 percent with 350 surveys returned from the 819 distributed. Nodaway County was divided into four quadrants and Maryville. Maryville residents returned 58.86 percent, with the rest of the county returning 37.75 percent and 3.39 percent being unreadable or unusable.

The survey results showed the greatest needs to be good nutrition, mobility, transportation, feeling lonely, sad or isolated and financial problems. The lowest needs on the survey were fear, depression and/or anxiety and victim of crime.

Read the rest of Kathryn’s article in the printed 5/2 edition.