On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, nearly 30 people gathered for the second Age Friendly- Albany County meeting at Cohoes Senior Center. Several individuals made presentations to help Albany reach the goal of keeping its older adults at home and engaged in their communities for as long as possible.
Judi England, RN, Senior Health Education Coordinator for the JFS Albany NNORC, discussed her recent blog post “What’s in a name? – “Age-Friendly”? Judi’s blog is called Holistic Health and is featured on the Times Union website. Program Director Thomas Scarff discussed developing an action plan around the 8 domains that make up an Age-Friendly community (i.e. housing, transportation, social participation, respect and social inclusion, outdoor spaces & buildings, work and civic engagement, communication & information, and community and health services). County Executive, Daniel P. McCoy, joined in on the discussion and expressed his commitment to this initiative as well as his enthusiasm for the future. Keith Chan, PhD, MSW, from the University at Albany School of Social Welfare, presented on gathering and interpreting data from both stakeholder and residents in Albany County to assist in creating an action plan for the initiative. The Mayor of the City of Cohoes, Mayor Shawn Morse, discussed how Cohoes is already engaged in making changes to the city to make it more Age-Friendly. Co-Chair of Age Friendly- Albany County, Michael J. Burgees, reviewed the goals of small work groups to be broken down based on the eight domains. Patricia J. Binzer, EdD, Co-Chair of Age Friendly- Albany County, presented on the role of the Community Council to ensure that residents are given a voice in this process.
At the close of the meeting it was decided that the next steps are to complete a needs assessment and then to develop an action plan moving forward. Small work groups will be meeting again in October based on their interest and expertise in the eight domains. For more information about Age Friendly Albany, visit https://tinyurl.com/yat4wfwl.
Qualities that Make a Community “Age-Friendly”
Here at the NNORC that is our focus—100%—and we’re always exploring new ways to shape that vision
into a reality.
On July 12, NNORC staff was invited to participate in the kick-off meeting for the Age Friendly Albany County initiative. The invitation described it as “a meeting of potential stakeholders who will partner with Albany County, World Health Organization, and AARP on a vital and exciting initiative to make Albany County Age Friendly for all of our workers, visitors and residents.”
Representatives from state and local government, health agencies, educational organizations, and service providers gathered at The First Unitarian Universalist Society to brainstorm how we can better pool our skills
and resources to serve seniors.
This National and International Initiative—led by AARP here in the U.S. and the World Health Organization Internationally—lists Eight Domains of Livability:
- Outdoor Sources and Buildings: Accessible places for people of all ages to gather indoors and out. Safe streets, green spaces, sidewalks and seating.
- Transportation Choices: Driving a car should not be the only option for getting around.
- Housing: Affordable housing options that can be designed or modified to allow safe “Aging in Place.”
- Social Participation: Accessible, affordable, engaging social activities.
- Respect and Social Inclusion: Intergenerational activities for young and old to meet and learn from one another and feel good about themselves
- Work and Civic Engagement: Opportunities for older individuals to work—for pay if they choose—or
volunteer their skills in the community - Communication and Information: Recognize that many methods must be utilized to disseminate information and provide contact
- Community and Health Services: Provide a means for all residents to receive affordable care when needed. It’s easy to see that devising strategies to address these Eight Domains of Livability will make our community not only “Age-Friendly” but more importantly, will enhance livability for ALL residents of ALL ages.