By Geralyn Magan
A Virginia-based affordable housing community engaged the LeadingAge LTSS Center to help it assess resident needs and preferences
Culpepper Garden has engaged the LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston to conduct an assessment process aimed at creating a snapshot of resident needs and preferences that the Virginia-based LeadingAge member can use to develop programs and services.
“Our goal is to help Culpepper Garden collect meaningful information about residents, their current health status, their perceived needs for services, their preferences for community programming, and their experiences with current services and programs at Culpepper Garden,” says Alexandra Hennessa, a researcher with the LTSS Center.
Culpepper Garden, established in 1975, includes two independent senior living communities with 267 apartments, and an assisted living community featuring 73 apartments for residents who need 24-hour supportive services and help with activities of daily living. The organization’s assisted living community is the first such community in the nation subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
ABOUT THE ASSESSMENT
The Culpepper Garden resident assessment process began in May 2022 with distribution of a one-time, self-administered survey to all the community’s residents. The survey was translated into five languages in addition to English. Residents had the option to complete the survey on their own, to participate in a group event during which they could complete the survey with other residents, or to request one-on-one assistance with the survey from LTSS Center researchers.
The survey tool was designed to collect information about resident:
- Age, gender, race/ethnicity, language spoken, and tenure in the Culpepper community.
- Mental health, including incidences of depression, anxiety, loneliness/social isolation, and alcohol/drug use.
- Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and readiness to engage with others after COVID.
- Interest in participating in community programming and services.
- Impressions of the organization’s communication around activities.
- Capacity and willingness to use technology.
- Experience with renovated spaces in the community.
Researchers are now analyzing survey data to identify response numbers and proportions for each survey question, and to assess how survey responses differ for relevant subpopulations, including Spanish speakers or other racial/cultural groups, certain age groups, persons with certain mental health characteristics, and residents who are new to Culpepper Garden.
This summer, LTSS Center researchers will conduct focus groups to delve further into resident interests in engaging in programs and activities at Culpepper Garden and barriers that might stand in the way of that engagement. Focus group discussions will be analyzed for key themes, and findings will be identified across all focus groups and within particular resident populations.
At the end of the project, the LTSS Center will prepare a written report for Culpepper Garden that will analyze:
- The responses to all survey questions.
- Significant survey findings.
- Key findings and themes from the focus groups.
- Implications for resident engagement and programming.
Researchers will also provide Culpepper Garden with recommendations for responding to the survey and focus group findings.
“This assessment process will provide Culpepper Garden with valuable information about residents that it can use to evaluate its current programs and services, identify additional services or programs that meet the specific needs and interests of residents, and better target services to specific subpopulations of residents,” says Hennessa. “We’re excited to be a part of this discovery process.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
You can find more information about resident assessments in the LTSS Center’s Assessing Resident Needs Toolkit. LeadingAge members interested in engaging the LTSS Center to assist them in their own resident assessment process can contact Alexandra Hennessa.