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Executive Summary: The community diagnosis presented in this document is the result of a two-semester academic requirement of first-year Master’s students enrolled in the Health Behavior and Health Education Department at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Students in this program conduct a community diagnosis in order to learn to assess and comprehend the needs and resources of a particular community. It is a team effort, allowing small groups of students to work together to understand the many factors that directly or indirectly affect the overall health and quality of life of that community and its residents. This community diagnosis focused on identifying the needs and interests of the senior citizen population of Cary, North Carolina. Particular emphasis was placed on the strengths and limitations of the community and the potential for resolution of those concerns that are most important. In general, the process involved gathering information from written documents, personal interviews, and community dialogue. The findings of this process are presented as clearly and completely as possible in the following pages. Included are sections about Cary’s history, geography, political system, and demographics, as well as an overview of indicators of economic, education and health status of residents. In addition, seven major topics identified by community members -- town growth, transportation, housing, health issues, social isolation, a proposed new senior center, and perceptions of seniors -- are discussed in detail. In the final conclusions section, the major findings from the various parts of the community diagnosis are examined in order to assess general community competence and present some implications for the future. The authors of this document endeavored to examine the quality of life of the senior residents of the town of Cary throughout the process described above. During the community diagnosis the team gained an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of experiences and opinions of the seniors of Cary, the variety of resources currently available, and the potential for community members to address key concerns. Throughout the document, great care was taken to ensure objective interpretation of all subject matter, opinions, and concerns as they were presented. Although this process began as part of an academic requirement, it is hoped that the community as a whole benefited from the experience and that this document might be considered a catalyst for continued collective action on the part of Cary senior residents. |
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