The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
January speaker answers question, "What makes a good place to grow old?"
UMRA members who braved unplowed streets and parking challenges (except for those arriving by light rail) were treated to a fine presentation at our January luncheon by Vancouver native and U of M doctoral candidate Jessica Finlay, whose academic work is focused on human geography and social gerontology. “It’s an unusual pairing,” she said. “I’m kind of an academic unicorn.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans ages 65 and older will double from 46 million today to more than 98 million by 2060, and the 65+ age group’s share of the total population will rise from 15 percent to nearly 24 percent.
And yet, Finlay noted, many of our neighborhoods are “Peter Pan communities—designed and built for people who never grow old.”
Finlay’s research asked a sample of 125 self-identified older residents of the inner city (in and near downtown Minneapolis), outer city (North Minneapolis), and suburbs (Eden Prairie) “What constitutes a good place to grow old? Participants included persons living alone or with others; in houses, condos, apartments, or homeless shelters; persons of varying financial circumstances; and persons with varying mobility limitations.
She began assembling her sample of subjects by volunteering at a center for the elderly, with each person who agreed to be interviewed helping her contact others. Soon she had dozens eager to tell their stories. Visiting people in their homes and walking with some in their neighborhoods, she observed and assessed their major concerns regarding mobility; safety and security; how they remained socially connected; and the challenges many faced gaining access to shopping and essential services.
How and where we live affect our health and well-being, and Finlay hopes to eventually use her research to help make the built environment healthier, happier, and safer for aging in place. It was a splendid presentation followed by a stimulating Q&A.
—John S. Adams
January Luncheon Meeting
Tue, January 23 2018, 11:30am
Jessica Finlay
U of M doctoral candidate
Conference Room ABC,
Campus Club, Fourth Floor,
Coffman Memorial Union
Can we make the built environment healthier, happier, and safer for aging in place?
Winston Churchill once observed, “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” He was on to something. Urban surroundings built right can contribute to improved physical, mental, and social health, discourage us from dropping litter, encourage us to interact with neighbors, invite us to explore our neighborhood, minimize certain risks, and much more.
Our January luncheon speaker, Jessica Finlay, a Vancouver native and doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota, will invite us to consider ways that aging in place can be healthier, happier, and safer. A geographer with a special focus on gerontology, she believes that “if we pay more attention to how we build and maintain urban environments, …supportive changes can benefit all citizens—regardless of age or ability.”
Finlay’s doctoral studies build on three intersecting research areas: urban geography (How does society build and interact with the urban environment?), public health (How are the health and wellbeing of the population as a whole monitored, regulated, and promoted by the state?), and feminist studies (A disproportionate share of our elderly population is female, and socioeconomically marginalized older adults are the fastest growing group). Data for her study were compiled from hundreds of personal interviews
Minnesota’s urban elderly face a range of challenges. For example, “Construction zones are terrible for elders and the disabled,” Finlay said in an article about her doctoral research published in the Star Tribune. “This causes more than just physical challenges, such as the mental stress of figuring out rerouted buses. … [And] in wintertime, with snow, ice, unshoveled sidewalks or impassable berms left behind by plows, many seniors venture out much less often. This makes Minnesota winters seem extra long and isolating to them.”
“On the plus side, seniors love the Minneapolis skyway system,” she said. “They’re weather-protected, mostly accessible for those using motorized chairs or walkers, and a safe and familiar environment for shopping and exercise.”
— John S. Adams, former UMRA president (and urban geographer)
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.