Table 3.

Qualitative thematic analysis of active aging neighborhood infrastructure: Aging in the Right Place Study (2015).

Neighborhood feature	Summary of findings	Exemplar Quotes
Parks	Local parks and paved trails were popular places to walk. Additional physical activities included bicycling, dog-walking, and skiing. Nearby neighborhood parks and small ‘pocket parks’ were favorite places to exercise and informally socialize. Heavily-wooded parks and large nature preserves were less frequented given distance and safety concerns. Fall risk and lack of safety from crime dissuaded park use, particularly among low-income neighborhoods. Participants requested supportive senior-specific park infrastructure to encourage park usage and exercise.	Rhonda (85y): I walk through the park all the time, and [it] keeps changing. There’s always some event or affair going on… Once in the park, I was cutting through the park and it was solid ice. I had no traction. I ended up getting down on my knees and getting through the ice puddle. I couldn't maneuver it… And nobody came along to help. Just when you wanted somebody. Annie (83y): There are walking trails along the river, I use those a great deal. Warren (65y): I’d like a pool. I know that I have the use of the community center, but that’s three miles away. I would like a more neighborly park. We have a kids’ park relatively close down the street, but nothing really for seniors. Pamela (61y): We have this park over here, and there is nothing for seniors. It's got two tennis courts. Which are never used. In one court, I've asked for years, can they make a pickleball [court] for seniors? Barbara (67y): I used to walk the trails here but… it's a little scary walking the trails now [given the perceived risk of being mugged or attacked in the heavily-forested area].
Fitness and sports recreation centers	Gyms, swimming pools, tennis courts, and golf courses were valued places to exercise and socialize among select participants. Affluent participants living in condominiums and townhomes utilized on-site private facilities such as gyms and pools. Participants with disabilities particularly appreciated pools for low-impact exercise and rehabilitation.	Ingrid (66y): They built a YMCA for us 50-plus … The people there, we’re all older. It’s just like a big social club. We work out, but we also laugh and have fun. It’s just a bunch of old people getting together and hanging out. I always felt that laughter is very healthy for you. I feel rejuvenated going there, both mentally and spiritually. It’s just like a safe haven to go to, plus we get healthy. Barbara (67y): [The fitness center] has an indoor pool, so now I’ve got swimming year-round. Besides the indoor pool has a Jacuzzi, sauna, and a full workout [gym]. I mean everything. That has become my life. I go five days a week. In the winter, their indoor pool is 95 degrees. I feel like I’m in a resort area. Kurt (82y): I’m able to play some golf still, and that gets me out of the house… I golf every Monday, so I see those guys. Denise (72y): [Pool exercise] is the only exercise I really can do without hurting my back… I’ve got friends there and I like the exercise… It’s wonderful. It's warm water… I'm pain-free for an hour of the day when I'm there.
Walkable destinations	Nearby destinations motivated everyday walking for leisure and exercise. Pedestrian infrastructure, such as wide and smoothly-paved sidewalks, long-timed crosswalks, and indoor walkways, encouraged active transit to services and amenities. Low-density suburban-dwelling participants often drove regularly for appointments, groceries, and socializing given lack of walkable destinations. Low-income participants were less likely to walk from home for leisure or exercise given lack of safety and nearby destinations.	Salma (67y): I like walking, especially in the spring and the summer and autumn. It’s so good to walk and get around and go to the shops around here, nearby. I enjoy. Michael (73y): Everything’s walking distance for me. I hardly drive anymore… I’m willing to walk to [the big-box store]. In fact, I consider that a good motivation for doing my walking to stay fit… I’m so grateful for the skyway because then we can walk during the long cold months and walk a half hour every day. Maggie (69y): It’s a suburb, so it’s quite far away from things. It’s the first time I had to drive to a grocery store, you know what I mean? I was used to [living] just within a mile you had grocery stores, doctors, and everything. Here … you just have to be able to drive. Thelma (66y): That's something, as I age, I'm not thrilled with. That there aren't a lot of places I can walk to. Harry (75y): [Services] are close enough to be convenient in the car, but it would be nice to be able to walk to the grocery store or walk to a coffee shop or a bar or something. I sort of miss that. That's the disadvantage of living in a suburb, you know.