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Age-friendly New York City CADENZA Symposium 2010: Age-Friendly World Cities & Environment

Age-friendly New York City CADENZA Symposium 2010: Age-Friendly World Cities & Environment October 8, 2010 • Hong Kong Ruth Finkelstein, ScD Vice-president for Health Policy. Domains of City Life. NYC Project.

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Age-friendly New York City CADENZA Symposium 2010: Age-Friendly World Cities & Environment

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  1. Age-friendly New York City CADENZA Symposium 2010: Age-Friendly World Cities & Environment October 8, 2010 • Hong Kong Ruth Finkelstein, ScD Vice-president for Health Policy

  2. DomainsofCityLife

  3. NYCProject • Launched joint public-private project: NYAM, the Mayor’s Office, and the City Council • Established steering committee of government and NGO partners to design and implement a city-wide assessment

  4. TheAssessmentProcess • Expert roundtables (7) • Community forums (14) • Constituent feedback forms (340) • Focus groups (13 groups with more than 75 individuals) and interviews (24 individuals) • special effort made to reach older immigrants • Requests for information • Mapping • Literature review

  5. GrowthofNYC’sOlderAdultPopulation Seniors vs. School-Age Youth as Percentage of NYC Population Growth of NYC’s 65+ Population

  6. DiversityofNYC’sOlderPopulation

  7. NYC’s Older Immigrant Population • 44% of New Yorkers are immigrants • 27% of immigrants are 65 or approaching 65

  8. ReleaseofFindingsReport Jo Boufford (President of NYAM), Mayor Bloomberg, Mamie Williams & her mother; Linda Gibbs (Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services)

  9. Assetsofthe Urban Environment Transportation Proximity to stores & services Access to cultural institutions Support of existing communities & social networks Access to high quality health and social services

  10. Challengesofthe Urban Environment Neighborhoods and families are changing in ways that diminish social cohesion and increase social isolation Mobility, linguistic, & cultural barriers contribute to isolation and prevent many older adults from taking full advantage of all the city has to offer Affordability

  11. “I am always worried, if my rent goes up I can’t afford it and I will have to move out of the neighborhood”

  12. GovernmentAssessmentProcess Self-assessments of City agencies

  13. Result: Age-friendly Initiatives 59 recommendations to expand and launch new initiatives across four areas Community & Civic Participation Housing Public Spaces & Transportation Health & Social Services Plan summarized in report released by Mayor & Speaker in August 2009

  14. CommunityandCivicParticipation Goal: Improve social inclusion, civic participation, and employment opportunities for older adults • Assist older New Yorkers with short work histories to obtain employment eligible for Social Security • Provide new volunteer opportunities through timebanking and other initiatives • Recruit artists to conduct programs in senior centers • Conduct local community assessments of neighborhoods to determine age-friendliness Employment & Economic Security Volunteerism Culture & Recreation Information & Planning

  15. HousingInitiatives Goal: Increase availability and affordability of safe, appropriate housing • Target housing funds and streamline process of building low income housing for older New Yorkers • Engage home improvement contractors in best practices for older adult market • Target Section 8 vouchers to vulnerable older adults at risk of eviction • Improve access to SCRIE through transfer to Department of Finance Affordable Housing & Development Homeowner & Renter Assistance Aging in Place

  16. Public Space & Transportation Goal: Provide age-friendly public spaces and a safe means for reaching them • Develop taxi voucher program for older New Yorkers who are unable to use public transportation • Redesign street intersections at key locations citywide to improve safety for older New Yorkers • Provide environmental stewardship workshops and engage older New Yorkers in planting trees as part of PlaNYC and MillionTreesNYC • Promote use of Universal Design Guidelines through education and awareness efforts Accessible & Affordable Transportation Safe & Age-friendly Public Spaces Planning for the Future

  17. Health and Social Services Goal: Ensure access to health and social services to support independent living Wellness & Healthcare Planning • Establish fitness club discount for older New Yorkers • Implement citywide falls prevention initiative • Add Silver Alert to Notify NYC • Provide bus service for older New Yorkers to access grocery stores • Improve older New Yorkers’ access to food stamps by implementing telephone application process & outreach Assistance to At-Risk Older Adults Access to Nutritious Food

  18. Age-friendlyNYCCommission Appointed by the Mayor Leaders from every sector Seated for 4 years Charged with developing an Age-friendly NYC Blueprint & coordinating resources and initiatives to improve NYC’s age-friendliness Will monitor progress towards goal and issue an annual progress report

  19. Age-friendly New York CityMayoral Commission Established 3 working groups: Age-friendly Schools, Colleges & Universities Age-friendly Business Aging Improvement Districts

  20. Age-friendly Schools, Colleges and Universities Increasing access to education for older adults Increasing access to university resources Creating partnerships between schools and senior organizations Enhancing curriculum to broaden students’ perspectives on aging Encouraging research to transition positively into an aging society Increasing opportunities for emeritus faculty, staff and alumni

  21. Age-friendly Businesses Making the case to businesses: $ • People over 50 make up 1/3 of the U.S. population but control 50% of the country’s discretionary spending. • In 2010, the United States Federal Reserve estimates that older adults will outspend younger shoppers by roughly $1 trillion. • NYC business owners say that older adults are often their most loyal customers, clients and employees.

  22. Age-friendlyRetailBusiness Checklist Developed a check list for businesses to assess how age-friendly they are in terms of their products and services and their physical facility. For example: Offers food, products and/or services that are appropriate for older adults Makes discounts or special offers available for older adults when possible Communicates through printed materials, the Internet and signs in a large, clear font in appropriate languages. Has a place where customers can sit and rest Allows customers to use a restroom

  23. Age-friendlyRetailBusiness Implementation Plan Trained teams of older adults will work with businesses to improve their age-friendliness through ongoing education and engagement Local neighborhood business associations will provide access to businesses and offer incentives (like publicity) for participating businesses Local non-profit organizations will provide older adult volunteers and help train them NYAM & the Commission will provide technical assistance and training materials about how businesses can be more age-friendly

  24. Aging Improvement Districts • Two pilot neighborhoods • Community consultations and organizing in each neighborhood • Released key findings at neighborhood event with older adults and leaders • Advocating for neighborhood level change

  25. FindingsfromEastHarlemAID Neighbors know and help each other Having somewhere to sit inside and outside is very important to older adults. There are few delivery services in East Harlem, yet there are many obstacles for older adults attempting to carry groceries and laundry home. 125th St. between Park and Lexington Avenues is an important intersection for older adults as a transportation & business hub but is congested and dangerous for older adults. Many older adults would like to participate in more activities and events that the city offers, but do not have an automatic companion and they do not feel safe going out at night.  Many older adults change their plans or do not go out because of the lack of restrooms available for their use Almost all older adults do not use public swimming pools, but many say they would if there was a time they could be there without the crowds and regulations.

  26. PresentingtheFindingsBacktotheCommunity Created a short film in both English and Spanish Can be viewed at http://www.vimeo.com/14856982 Held a big community meeting that included residents and policymakers to report the findings

  27. EastHarlemAIDImmediateOutcomes Parks Commissioner agrees to open a local pool for older adults Public Housing Commissioners agrees to look into restoring laundry services in housing Local museums asking how to get involved Legislative representative from the area working with local Post Office on improving service and seating for older adults

  28. LessonsLearned Get the support of government partners early in the process Building on existing strengths, programs, and facilities of the City is a strategy that resonates with government leaders, especially in times of fiscal constraint Promoting a vision that infuses age-friendliness into planning across multiple domains engages a wide array of sectors and partners The continued involvement of older adults is essential Adopt top down and bottom up strategies

  29. ContactInformation Ruth Finkelstein, ScD rfinkelstein@nyam.org Report and other materials are available for download at: www.agefriendlynyc.org

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