Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com
Four US cities are exploring ways to help residents age in place, saying initiatives carry benefits for younger generations, too.
As part of the work, workshops are being held throughout June in San Antonio, Texas; Richmond, Va.; Wichita, Kan.; and Chattanooga, Tenn. The workshops will focus on forging community partnerships and collaborating on city redesign.
The goal of the program is to make it easier for individuals to stay in their homes and communities safely and independently as they age. At the workshops, groups can also apply for "JumpStart the Conversation" grants to support local organizations concerned about aging.
"Through the workshop and grant opportunities, communities will gain a renewed sense of urgency when it comes to considering community livability for all ages," said Robert McNulty, president of Partners for Livable Communities, a group that's sponsoring the workshops alongside MetLife Foundation and the nonprofit National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).
Age-Friendly Living
Innovative ideas are critical at a time when cities need to consider the entire
life-spans of their residents - children, working adults and the retired
- and rethink services that define age-friendly living. Those include housing,
transportation, healthcare, civic participation, safety and employment
The last tally showed about 46 percent of US communities had begun planning to address aging needs driven by the exploding boomer population, according to the 2006 report, "The Maturing of America - Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population."
The first boomers reached age 60 in 2006, and will be 65 in 2011. This rapidly aging population will hit its peak in 2030 when the number of US people over age 65 will soar to 71.5 million, double the figure for 2000.
Recent economic woes are hurting cities' ability to keep up with the growth spurt. Local governments nationwide are struggling as their cash flow plummets along with declining home values and sales tax revenue. As a result, states like California have seen significant cuts in programs administered by the state department of aging, including funding for long-term care.
An Opportunity to be Better
"This is both a challenge and an opportunity to make our communities better
places for all age groups," said Sandy Markwood, chief executive officer of
n4a, which led the Maturing of America report.
In each region holding workshops, nine grants of $1,000 and one grant of $2,500 will be awarded to support innovative ideas tailored to the community.
Previous workshops have taken place in Tampa Bay, Fla., Phoenix, Ariz, Chicago and San Diego. They have resulted in grant awards for projects such as the Pinal-Gila Council for Senior Citizens in Arizona. It developed new business partnerships with the 13 Chambers of Commerce organizations in the two-county area with the goal of creating age-appropriate jobs for older workers.
"This initiative is identifying creative solutions that will help America's communities meet the needs of an unprecedented population of aging Americans looking to comfortably age in place," said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation.
More information on upcoming workshops and "JumpStart" grants can be found at the program's web site.
