Recently, the City of Miamisburg Parks and Recreation Department and the Kettering Health Network – Sycamore Medical Center were awarded a grant from the Del Mar Healthcare – Dayton non-profit corporation to fund an assessment of senior adult needs in the Miami Township and City of Miamisburg areas.  Both agencies were interested in gaining a statistically valid picture of senior adult health, wellness, recreational and social service needs.

This past spring, Wright State University (WSU) conducted a needs assessment to those individuals aged 55 years or older living in the Miamisburg and Miami Township areas.  Over 600 individuals were surveyed over the telephone.

In summary, seniors reported that their needs were mostly in the areas of understanding technology, understanding health insurance, personal health concerns, and knowing where to find resources for needed services.   The findings also reported that of those surveyed, respondents were most interested in programming that offered local theater or art experiences, fitness opportunities, small group dining excursions, outdoor events or concerts or community-wide special events.  Respondents also indicated that the issues most important to them included health and wellness screenings and education programs, information on aging and how to access resources, recreation programs and services, and volunteer opportunities.

Over 95% of those surveyed who were current members of the Miamisburg Senior Adult Center stated they were satisfied with the Center.  Additionally, over 97% indicated that they were satisfied with the Emergency Police, Fire and
Medical services they received in the past five years.

As originally intended, the Project Steering Committee has shared the needs assessment results with area senior service providers.  By making the information available to others, there is hope that all organizations can
benefit in meeting the needs of area seniors while still remaining true to individual organization’s mission. Specifically at the Miamisburg Senior Adult Center, staff will be developing action plans to provide the recreation programming identified through the survey results, and working to identify new methods to promote the programs, services and events available. For more detailed information please visit Wright State University Study for the complete survey.