Latest seniors’ survey shows Uxbridge is ‘age-friendly’

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A presentation made to council on Monday revealed that many view Uxbridge as an “age-friendly’ community. Dave Richardson of the Age Friendly Committee gave a report on the survey, which was conducted in March and April of this year.

On the plus side, Richardson said the survey showed 60 per cent of respondents believe Uxbridge is age friendly, 70 per cent believe the township has a "positive attitude" towards seniors and 80 per cent are comfortable using computers. On the negative side, however, 75 per cent said they would find it hard to get around town if they didn't drive and most respondents did not know about Durham Region Transit's on-demand service. As for walking, the majority said the township needs to repair sidewalks in a speedier fashion And finally, 90 per cent said isolation is a serious problem for seniors.

Garrod said the township is working on updating the township website and including a seniors section. He also said a number of the issues raised by Richardson would be brought up during the upcoming budget discussions.