Geographic Information Systems in Gerontology Research

1. Geographic Information Systems in Gerontology Research Deborah Dunn, MPH DrPH Student College Of Public Health Graduate Center of Gerontology

2. Capacity and Potential of GIS in Gerontology • Communities must start to recognize the needs of various older subpopulations • Identifying local resources to address those needs • Tasks are often complicated • Older population growth attributable to new elderly • Migration patterns of older cohorts • Population density and resource availability or access • Integration of community resources and service delivery systems • Barriers to service resources

3. Objective Geographic Information systems (GIS) can assist researchers and practitioners engaged in community specific analyses that focuses on the older populations and their resource environments.

4. Agenda Briefly define GIS Community based gerontology study Challenges & opportunities in application Questions and Answers

5. Defining GIS • GIS allows us to map a wide variety of geographical phenomena • GIS links selected attribute information with digital representations of features in space • Economic, Social, Health, Nominal Data • Points, lines, polygons represent hospitals, ADD, senior centers

6. Visualization and Spatial Methods • Visualization of statistical data • Revealing patterns and distributions • Spatial methods using overlay analysis • Allows users to create a new layer of information • By combining data elements from two or more existing layers • Synthesis of multiple layers generates new information

7. Example of Faith Based /Poverty Faith Based Organizations Prevalence of Poverty by Census tract Faith Based Organizations in High Poverty Tracts

8. Other Spatial Methods Number of features located inside or outside a specified radius, or corridor Shortest route and time of travel between two points

9. GIS as a Research Tool Map longitudinal community data of adults over age 65 Depict age-specific population distribution and density patterns Identify geographic concentrations of various elderly populations (ethnic minorities, older widows) At risk populations with incomes below 125% of poverty

10. GIS as a Research Tool Locate community resources for older people Evaluate the spatial relationship between potentially at risk older and needed resources Plan transportation routes Generate research questions and hypotheses

11. Recent Research Multi-methodological study conducted in KY Characteristics and needs of older county residents and the adequacy of existing resources to meet those needs Influx of older rural Appalachian residents to the urban city coupled with aging in place of baby boomers to predict resource adequacies

12. Study Objectives • Validate and justify planning and resource allocation directed at current and projected needs of community dwelling older county residents • Community based waiver • Make informed decisions regarding Capital development

13. Methods • GIS was the first modality undertaken • Provided important baseline information regarding key population characteristics of older county residents • Located critical public and non profit and private sector county resources available • Identified geographic gaps between older populations and community resources that might reflect an unmet need

14. Limitations • Use of Kentucky counties as a unit of analysis • Older residents access out of state services • Border county residents are especially likely to go across state lines if there are more resources in another state • Some resources such as the VA or clinics are in another county and patients must use these services • Luckily the VA is in Fayette county and the FQHC of Lexington Public Health

15. Spatial and Attributes Visual Percentage change in the 65 and older population from 2000 to 2010 Just in Fayette County 2000= 2010= 31, 138 adults over the age of 65 2020 = 51,519+31,138 * .10= 79,657

16. 2000 versus 2010 Population

17. Percent Change of Population

18. Median Age by State

19. Over 65 in Kentucky

20. Percentage of Poverty Percent of People Below Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months(Kentucky: Estimate: 17.4 Percent ,Margin of Error: +/-0.3 Percent)

21. GIS Raises Awareness Questions that come out of mapping can be further addressed in community forums Complements other research modalities regularly used in studies of older community based populations GIS products may raise specific research questions and aid in the formation of a hypothesis

22. Conclusion Geographic Information systems (GIS) can assist researchers and practitioners engaged in community specific analyses that focuses on the older populations and their resource environments.

23. Questions Thank you for your attendance and time Questions?

24. References Arnoff, S (1991). Geographic information systems: A management perspective. Ottawa, Canada; WDL Rowles, G. D. & Johansson, H.K. (1993). Persistent elderly poverty in rural Appalachia. Journal of applied gerontology. 12:349- 367. Rowles, G. D.(1981) Geographical dimensions of social support in rural Appalachia. Aging and Milieu. San Diego US Census Bureau (2010). Census of population and housing. Summary file. Washington DC. Tiger line files.