Aging in Hingham - Town of Hingham Massachusetts

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Survey Sample SelectionMunicipal census records for the Town of Hingham were used to identify residents ofHingham aged 45 and over. A mailing list of all town residents, including name, address,and date of birth, was obtained through the Hingham Town Clerk. The names andaddresses on this list were updated by the mail house service used by the Department ofElder Services (Ryan Weaver Mailing Services). From the updated list, researchers randomlyselected a sample of 3,400 residents, or approximately 30% of the residents aged 45 andolder on the corrected address list.RecruitmentApproximately one week prior to the distribution of the questionnaire, a personallyaddressed postcard was mailed to selected respondents inviting their participation in thedata collection. The message on the postcard was from Barbara Farnsworth, Director ofElder Services, and was designed to make participants aware that they would receive amailing in the coming week. In October 2012, we distributed the questionnaireaccompanied by a cover letter signed by Barbara Farnsworth. The cover letter outlined thepurpose of the survey and the measures taken to protect the rights and privacy of theparticipants. Those who wished to respond to the questionnaire online, rather than returningthe questionnaire by mail, were directed to an electronic version of the questionnaire hostedon the SurveyMonkey website. UMass Boston was clearly identified in the materials as theresearch partner for the study. As an incentive for participation, respondents were enteredin a drawing for one of ten Hingham Downtown Association $50 gift cards. These gift cardswere donated in part by the Hingham Downtown Association. Identification numbers wereincluded on each questionnaire so that the researchers could monitor who was eligible forthe drawing. The database containing these numbers is securely maintained by theresearchers.Response RateDuring October and November of 2012, a total of 749 surveys were received, resulting in anoverall response rate of 22% (see Table 1). 1 The return rate was higher for Seniors (28%)than for Boomers (15%), and was especially high for those aged 80 and older (34%). 2 Only2% of the responses were returned online.1 Time and budget constraints precluded issuing follow-up mailings as a means of increasing the overallresponse rate. Although our return rate is within acceptable limits for surveys of this type, it is lower than wehad hoped for. Surveys were received in selected homes on about October 18-21. About this time, HurricaneSandy was being tracked on its path toward the east coast; it made landfall in the New England area onOctober 29 th . Although Sandy had limited impact on Hingham, we speculate that preparations and mediasurrounding the hurricane may have reduced participation to the survey.2 “Baby Boomers” refer to the cohort of individuals born following World War II. In the U.S., this cohort istypically defined as those born between 1946 and 1964. As a result, in 2012 the Baby Boom cohort was aged48 to 66. We use the term “Boomers” in this report to refer to residents aged 45 to 59. This draws adistinction between “Boomers” and “Seniors” (defined as residents age 60 and older, consistent with languageused in the Older Americans Act). As well, this approach facilitates comparison of the data presented from thecommunity survey with data drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau, which reports data for the 45-59 population,but not for those aged 48-59.14
Table 1: Hingham Community Survey Response RatesTotal Boomers SeniorsSurveys mailed 3,400 1,539 1,861Incorrect address, deceased, ormoved out of Hingham60 27 33Surveys received (baseline) 3,340 1,512 1,828Surveys returned 749 231 518Response rate 22% 15% 28%ApproachData were entered directly into an SPSS database (version 18.0). Most of the items on thequestionnaire were closed-ended questions. These data were analyzed using descriptivestatistics, including frequencies and crosstabs. Responses elicited through open-endedquestions were coded by the research staff and tabulated.All participants in the study were aged 45 and older; 69% were aged 60 or more and 19%were aged 80 or more. Although data are not available to generate precise estimates on thedemographic characteristics of all potential participants, including those who did notrespond to the survey, data from the 2010 Census suggest that 53% of the Hinghamresidents aged 45+ are aged 60 and over and 16% are aged 80+. Respondents to thecommunity survey are therefore more likely to be Seniors (as compared to Boomers),relative to the community at large.Key informant interviewsOne-on-one interviews were conducted with six individuals who play leadership roles in thecommunity: the Town Administrator; a member of the Hingham Board of Selectmen;representatives of the Police Department; the Fire Chief; the Town nurse; and arepresentative from the Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry. These interviews focused on waysin which Hingham’s aging population is affecting the community at large and other Townoffices and organizations, and to provide input on the perceived effectiveness of thecommunity in responding to elders’ needs.Focus groupsTwo focus groups were held in Hingham to preview the draft results from the Hingham dataanalysis and to share insights. A goal of holding these focus groups was to engage in indepthdiscussion on topics relating to the report, and to involve community members andTown offices in the process of designing the Recommendations section of the report. Onefocus group (N= 10) was composed of representatives of Town offices and nonprofitorganizations. The other focus group (N= 5) was composed of community members aged15
Page 2 and 3: Aging in Hingham: A Community Affai
Page 4: Where do we go from here?The study
Page 7 and 8: Results from the Hingham community
Page 10 and 11: AcknowledgementsThe authors gratefu
Page 12 and 13: I. IntroductionAging in Hingham: A
Page 14 and 15: Transportation options shape the ex
Page 18 and 19: 45 and older. Focus groups were hel
Page 20 and 21: Table 3. Population Growth between
Page 22 and 23: Figure 2: Age distribution of house
Page 24 and 25: force. 6 More than 6 out of 10 amon
Page 26 and 27: Health and Wellness: These programs
Page 28 and 29: programs, social activities, and tr
Page 30 and 31: Figure 10: Importance of remaining
Page 32 and 33: phone, emailing, or getting togethe
Page 34 and 35: Figure 16: Percentage reporting fee
Page 36: Figure 18: Providing unpaid care to
Page 39: Boomers and 13% of the Seniors eith
Page 42 and 43: Figure 27: “This is a neighborhoo
Page 44 and 45: Figure 29: Percentage modifying dri
Page 46 and 47: services throughout the community m
Page 48 and 49: Respondents were asked if they had
Page 50 and 51: transportation options and the affo
Page 52 and 53: mechanisms were described by the gr
Page 54 and 55: alternatives for transportation, th
Page 56 and 57: volunteerism in Hingham. Strengthen
Page 58 and 59: Appendix A: Community SurveyTOWN OF
Page 60 and 61: 12. Do you require help with househ
Page 62 and 63: 22. Below is a list of problems one
Page 64 and 65: Section H. Current & Future Retirem
Page 66 and 67:
Appendix B: Detailed tables from th
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Q3. Who do you live with? (Check al
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Q5. About how many friends or relat
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Q7. Do you provide unpaid care or a
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Q10: How would you rate your overal
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Q12-14. Do you require help with ho
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Q16. Over the last month, how often
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Q18. The following are activities a
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Q20. Outside of the Hingham Senior
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Q21: Expanded content: How familiar
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Q23: How many years have you lived
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Q24: Do you live in Hingham year-ar
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Q26. Please indicate your level of
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Q29. Hingham Elder Services provide
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Q30. [Asked of respondents who driv
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Q32: In the past 6 months, when you
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Q33. Are you retired?All agesBoomer
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Q35. [Asked of those who are not re
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Q37. Gender: Are you (check one)?Al
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Q39. Race: Are you ?Q40. Do you con
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Q42. What is the highest level of e
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Q44. What was your total family inc
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The Gerontology Institute is locate
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Aging in Hingham - Town of Hingham Massachusetts

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