Background

Communities across the nation are recognizing the pressing need to provide safe walking opportunities for senior citizens. Senior citizens today are living longer, more active lives compared to their predecessors. In fact, according to the US Census Bureau, the number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to grow 39 percent by the year 2020, with the greatest increase expected in the 85 and older age cohort.

 

One way for seniors to live healthier lives is to incorporate exercise into their regular routine, with walking frequently recommended as the best means to achieve that goal. Walking can also be a viable transportation mode that can enable seniors to remain independent, even if they opt to reduce the time they spend driving or eliminate it altogether, by choice or otherwise.

 

Benefits of Walking

The benefits of walking are universally cited and include positives such as:

 

• It’s easy to start:  walking is free, inexpensive and no special equipment is needed to begin.
  
  
• Walking can help increase strength, flexibility and sense of balance.

 

• Other tangible health benefits are associated with walking; these include lowering the risks of high blood pressure and obesity, and the likelihood of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis. Walking can also help maintain – and often improve – the wellbeing of those coping with chronic diseases, such as diabetes.
  
  
• Walking is a viable form of transportation, and can be especially valuable to seniors who opt to limit or cease their driving activity.

 

Obstacles to Safe Senior Walking

Frequently cited obstacles to safe senior walking often focus on the functional limitations of aging persons, as well as existing community limitations/barriers. With regard to aging, physical and cognitive limitations that can accompany age often impact physical activities. For example, declines in critical abilities such as vision, hearing, mobility, and/or cognition are common. Some of these declines are compounded by factors such as increased incidence of disease and need for medications. These potential impairments for seniors can reduce both mobility and awareness of one’s surroundings. When afflicted with these impairments, seniors are generally less able to see or hear oncoming traffic, take longer to cross