Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2025
14:13
A Training Program Using an Agility Ladder for Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Published on: March 7, 2020
10.6K
Older Adults' Perceptions of Campus Accessibility
Ashley E Ermer1, Nadine Verna1
1Department of Family Science and Human Development, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey United States.
Gerontology & Geriatrics Education
|July 5, 2022
Summary
Older adults perceive campuses as moderately accessible, with challenges in parking and topography. Improving campus inclusivity can help attract a more age-diverse community.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Urban Planning
- Higher Education
Background:
- Increasing age-diversity in higher education requires understanding older adults' needs.
- Campus accessibility is crucial for integrating older adults into university life.
- Older adults' perceptions of accessibility influence their engagement with campus facilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate older adults' perceptions of campus accessibility.
- To identify specific barriers and facilitators to campus access for older adults.
- To inform strategies for enhancing age-diversity on university campuses.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was administered to 81 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 71.58).
- Data collection included closed-ended and open-ended questions.
- Statistical analyses involved descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of qualitative data.
Main Results:
- Participants rated campus accessibility as moderate, with mixed feelings about ease of walking and feeling welcome.
- Key inaccessibility factors included parking limitations and topographical challenges (stairs, hills, distances).
- Positive accessibility factors involved well-maintained sidewalks and transportation access; feeling welcome related to helpful interactions and a sense of belonging.
Conclusions:
- Campus accessibility for older adults is influenced by physical infrastructure and social climate.
- Topographical constraints and parking are significant barriers that need addressing.
- Strategies to foster a sense of belonging and provide clear information are vital for older adult inclusion.
Related Concept Videos
02:55Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
91.3K
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who...
91.3K
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
239
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
239
02:16Surveys
15.2K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
15.2K
01:25Factors Affecting Perception
1.8K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
1.8K
01:50Cross-Sectional Research
11.8K
In cross-sectional research, a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time. If they were interested in people's dietary habits, the researcher might directly compare different groups of people by age. Instead of following a group of people for 20 years to see how their dietary habits changed from decade to decade, the researcher would study a group of 20-year-old individuals and compare them to a group of 30-year-old individuals and a group of 40-year-old...
11.8K
01:26Aging
169
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
169