La Mirada

To pinpoint needs of elderly residents for the next two decades, the City Council has allocated $37,000 for an extensive study of the city’s senior citizens. At the same time, those who provide housing, health care and social services for the elderly will be interviewed.

The study will be conducted by a team of faculty and graduate students from Cal State Fullerton. Two university professors, Rosalie Gilford, a gerontology expert, and Ray Young, an urban planner, will coordinate the 8-month-long La Mirada study.

Researchers will perform door-to-door interviews of senior citizens beginning in October. Results from the study will be presented to the council in March or April.

Most of La Mirada’s 42,000 residents are 50 or older, and 16% of the population is over 60. “The city has a very stable population with many couples staying in La Mirada long after their children have grown and moved on,” said Carol Cooley, the city’s human resources director. “We have an aging community, and we need to know whether we are serving them properly.”