Aging in Community

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Aging in Community

• Key ResourcesHealth Care ServicesHousingTransp
  ortationCongregate and Home Delivered Meals
• Important Activities Promoting
  WellnessProviding Lifelong LearningAssisting
  with Home ChoresMaintaining Driving
  AbilityPreventing IsolationCivic Engagement

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Aging in Community

• Most individuals with chronic conditions or
  disabilities in New York live in the community
  approximately 2.3 million adults and more than
  500,000 children
• Most have inadequate or
• fragmented access to formal
• services.

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Aging in the Community
Organizing
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Why Now?

• By 2015, 54 New York counties will
• have at least 20 or more of
• population aged 60 or older
• People express an overwhelming desire
• to want to remain in their own homes and
  communities, but may not be able to if needs and
  preferences cant be met
• Baby Boomers have expectations that things will
  be different for them as they age.
• There are significant economic benefits for New
  York if our communities are places where people
  can grow old and continue to engage financially,
  civically, and socially.

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Baby Boomers Are Coming

• Rapidly changing demographics

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The Boomers will make different demands on our
long term care system

• they will not be willing to accept the status
  quo and are already leading in many communities
  to create a different type of care delivery
  model.

Demographics, desires and preferences of older
adults, younger adults and caregivers are pushing
a policy and program agenda away from
institutional living to one that is more
integrated in the community.
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Source Empire State Development, residual
net-migration
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New Yorks 62 Counties
Change 2000-2015
44 Rural Counties
18 Urban Counties
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Community Empowerment
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Community Empowerment

• Active citizens - people with the motivation,
  skills and confidence to speak up for their
  communities and say what improvements are needed

Strengthened communities - community groups with
the capability and resources to bring people
together to work out shared solutions
Partnership with public bodies public bodies
willing and able to work as partners with local
people
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Community Empowerment

• People influencing decisions about their
  communities, and taking more responsibility for
  tackling local problems.
• Government can't solve everything by itself,
  neither can the community.
• People and government, working together to
  improve life.

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Success through Community Empowerment

• When expenses and need for some assistance was
  identified as an obstacle to older individuals
  remaining in the community, an organization in
  Ithaca demonstrated the benefits of neighborhoods
  where co-housing can be an alternative.
• When transportation and access to health care
  services were identified as an issue, Essex
  County became empowered to establish a parish
  nurse visitor program for isolated seniors with
  health care needs.
• When access to medical appointments and other
  services and goods was identified as an issue,
  Schoharie County developed a model rural
  transportation program run by a senior
  association.

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Success through Community Empowerment

• When home maintenance and repairs was identified
  as an challenge for older persons to stay in
  their homes, a non-profit in the Capital
  District created a home repair program that
  utilizes mostly retired seniors with handyman
  skills to help maintain and repair homes.
• When Westchester County gathered its key
  stakeholders for a planning meeting, a concrete
  action plan was developed that has produced
  results making Westchester an aging friendly
  community.
• Broome, Chautauqua, Allegany, Rockland and
  Chemung Counties and the cities of Rochester and
  New York are also some of the leaders currently
  planning for livable communities.

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LivableCommunities

• A livable community is one that has affordable
  and appropriate housing, supportive community
  features and services and adequate mobility
  options.
• Together these facilitate personal independence
  and engagement of residents in civic and social
  life.
  
• AARP definition of Livable Communities

Address Basic Needs
Promote Social Civic Engagement
Advance Health Wellness
Foster Independence
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Address Basic Needs
Promote Social Civic Engagement
Livable Communities
Advance Health Wellness
Foster Independence
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Characteristics of a Livable Community

• Housing that
• is accessible, appropriate and affordable
• offers new construction with universal design
• considers retrofitting existing housing to
  accommodate all
• is in neighborhoods that are safe and offer
  needed goods and services
• Streets that
• are easy to navigate for those with wheelchairs,
  baby carriages, or other assistive devices
• safe for walkers and joggers
• have clearly marked intersections and properly
  placed crossing devices
• Transportation systems that
• are affordable and accessible
• include a variety of options
• offer safe driving classes
• Arts and Leisure opportunities including
• Community meeting places and modern senior
  centers
• Wellness activities as well as social and
  cultural events

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Identify and Educate Stakeholders

• Community residents of all ages
• Seniors, Baby Boomers, Adults and Youth
• Public Officials
• Government Administrators, Commissioners, Agency
  Heads, Public Safety Officers and Zoning and
  Planning Officials
• Civic leaders
• Civic Organizations, Community and Faith Based
  Organizations, Business Leaders, Chamber of
  Commerce, Colleges, Universities, Libraries
• Cultural Institutions
• Health and Long Term Care Service Providers
• Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Healthcare
  Providers
• Housing / Builders

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At the Community planning event

• Have the facilitator
• Guide discussions about community strengths,
  weakness, and needs (free brainstorming)
• Categorize around the characteristics of livable
  communities (ie housing, transportation, safety,
  supports/service, arts/leisure)
• Consider forming sub-committees based on
  individuals interests, skills, resources that
  will address these issues
• Consider forming a steering committee made up of
  members from each sub-committee to advance
  community empowerment efforts moving forward

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Creating and Implementing an Action Plan

• Create action steps and outcome measures based on
  assessment findings
• Utilize existing partners/create new partnerships
  to execute actions that address specific
  community needs
• Implement and execute Action Plan
• Measure outcomes
• Keep efforts going and report back to the
  stakeholders.

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Developing/Choosing an Assessment tool and
protocol

• A Needs Assessment is critical to
• Get community member's input on issues that have
  been identified or to identify other areas
  important to them
• Get community members ideas for determining what
  specific needs locally must be addressed to
  create an age friendly community and involve them
  in the assessment process.
• Areas to assess
• Is the community safe?
• Are the roads and sidewalks well marked and
  navigable?
• Is housing affordable and accessible?
• Are medical and social services available?
• Do cultural and recreational activities meet the
  interest?
• Are meals available for the homebound, congregate
  services and shopping accessible to the mobile?
• Other locally determined questions

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Livable Community Assessment Tools

• The Livable Community Needs Assessment is a
  critical tool in helping
• communities identify issues that are important
  for local stakeholders to
• understand about what needs to get done locally
  in creating an age friendly
• community.
• Below are existing assessment tools that may be
  useful in our
• Community
• Oberlink, M.R. (2008). Opportunities for
  creating livable communities. Retrieved
  5/29/09 from AdvantAge Initiative Developing
  community indicators http//www.vnsny.org/advantag
  e/index.html
• Westchester County Livable Community Initiative
  Survey, http//www.westchestergov.com/pdfs/Seniors
  _Livable_Communities_Village_Survey022509.pdf
• Aging Futures Partnership (2004). Aging
  futuresolder adults living well as they define
  it Strategic Plan. R
• http//www.agingfutures.org/files/agingfutures/pdf
  s/AgingFuturesStrategicPlan2004.pdf

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Livable Community Assessment Tools

• MetLife Foundation. (2007). A blueprint for
  action Developing livable community for all
  ages. National Association of Area Agencies on
  Aging and Partners for Livable Communities.
  www.livable.com
• Rochester Area Community Foundation (2007).
  Connecting Seniors for Tomorrows Community,
  Community Assessment Report. Rochester, NY,
  http//www.racf.org/page10001502.cfm
• More Tools For Building Empowered Communities are
  posted on NYSOFAs Website http//www.aging.ny.gov
  /GetInvolved/EmpoweringCommunities/EmpCommTools.cf
  m

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Government Role

• Aid in the development of a locally directed
  group to advance livable community planning and
  action.
• civic leaders
• concerned citizens
• Enhance awareness of existing community assets by
  sharing effective community assessment tools
• Identify existing issues, barriers and concerns
  that may impede work to create a livable
  community for older residents.
• Provide technical assistance
• Create a detailed action plan with stakeholders
  and interest groups to address concerns.

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Civic Engagement

• Improving the health and lives of older adults
  by increasing the proportion of seniors who are
  engaged in meaningful volunteer activities.

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Older Adult Volunteering
Improved health and well-being of older
residents.

• Positive public benefits

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Making retirement more meaningful
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Now Who is Ready?