Gallatin wants to know how livable its city is for older residents

Are you 55 or older and live in Gallatin?

The city wants to know how livable its communities are to better understand the needs of older residents living in Gallatin and Sumner County.

Those who qualify may share their experiences through the online survey, https://survey.cmix.com/03A8A2D0/G10DF6LT/en-US and the data will be used in long-term planning and shared with care providers with the objective to make the area more livable for the elderly population, Gallatin city officials said.

“As we now finalize development of a 20-year comprehensive plan, we believe the timing is perfect to develop ideas to insure a healthy and sustainable community,” Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown said.

“Our partnership agreement with AARP will ensure our older residents have an advocate inside government, and throughout the community that champions Gallatin as a community for all ages.”

Residents can share their expectations on housing, walkability, access to medical care, transportation and socialization through the standard 47-question survey used by the American Association of Retired Persons.

Gallatin is one of 575 communities nationwide participating in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, according to the City of Gallatin.

And as survey data compiles and community needs are established, member cities are tasked with developing action plans and evaluate the local impact.

“The survey is a starting point for understanding what needs our older residents and their families have right now,” Brown said.

“Because older persons in our community tend to be more difficult to reach through social media and the internet, we really hope those who work and live with older residents will help collect the information.”

Livability index

Data from the survey helps to calculate a neighborhood, city, county or state’s overall livability or “total index score” on a scale from 0 to 100.

Based on the average score of seven livability categories – housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement and opportunity – communities are scored by comparison meaning the average community receives a score of 50, while above-average and below-average communities score higher and lower.

Gallatin currently scores just above average at 51 and other cities in Sumner County are not too far from average. Hendersonville scored 51, White House scored 47, Portland scored 52, Goodlettsville scored 49 and Westmoreland scored 52, according to AARP.

Sumner County’s average score is 52.

And these community livability scores are important as more and more Americans reach 65 or older.

Americans 65 and older numbered more than 54 million in 2019 representing 16% of the population or more than one in seven residents, according to the Administration for Community Living.

By 2030, that number is estimated to exceed 70 million Americans, or one in five residents, according to AARP.

For more information on the survey or if you would like to help the research efforts on older residents in Gallatin, contact the Gallatin Mayor’s Office at (615) 451-5961.

For more information on AARP’s livability index, visit https://livabilityindex.aarp.org/.

Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com or (615) 517-1285.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Gallatin wants to know how livable its city is for older residents