Aging Connection: August 2007 - Ohio Department of Aging

Aging Connection

August 2007

Three Ohio Cities Ranked Among Best Metro Areas for Seniors

Cincinnati ranked ninth, Cleveland was 11th and Columbus landed the 28th spot out of 50 cities identified as the top metro areas in the U.S. that offer the best overall qualities for senior living, according to a survey released by Bankers Life and Casualty Company.

A panel of experts on gerontology and senior issues was asked to identify the qualities that create optimal senior living. Their criteria were:

Health - physician-to-senior ratio, hospitals per capita and the availability of assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, nursing homes and senior meals.
Disease - overall life expectancy, age 85 expectancy and rates of depression, heart disease and cancer.
Economics - consumer prices, sales taxes, unemployment rate and recent job growth.
Social - percentage of seniors in the community and availability of entertainment opportunities.
Environment - number of sunny days, measurements of clean air and water, risk of natural disasters and the presence of ocean coastline, rivers and lakes and national parks.
Spiritual - percentage of the population belonging to organized religions and the number of religious congregations in the community.
Transportation - availability of public transportation and special access transportation, along with commuting times.
Housing - cost of living, median home price, property taxes and monthly apartment rent.
Crime - incidents of violent crime and property crime.

The senior living survey results included some cities that are not often associated with senior living, because the surveyors were not looking for the best places to be retired, but rather the best cities for seniors regardless of whether they are retired, working, active, healthy or not.

Table of Contents...