Making Sisters 'Age Friendly'
By Sue Stafford
Published April 17, 2018 in the Nugget Newspaper
(Click on title above to read)
EXCERPTED FROM THE ARTICLE:
… Planning for the April 25 event began in early January 2018 with the establishment of work groups to conduct research and collect information on the three key elements of an Age Friendly Community (AFC)—built environment, service environment, and social environment.
The information collected by the work groups will be shared at the Community Conversation so that participants will have factual information in order to make informed decisions when prioritizing the senior issues and needs identified at the AFC town hall held last November. During that meeting, Dr. Margaret Neal of the Portland State University Institute on Aging shared how Portland, Oregon led the World Health Organization's (WHO) first age-friendly initiative in the United States.
At the November 2017 meeting, several groups identified what is already working for seniors in Sisters, what are current barriers to improvement, and what are suggestions for improvement and to bring change, focusing on the three key elements of an AFC. The breakout sessions on April 25 will prioritize issues for action, and will discuss short-, mid-, and long-term goals and action planning for each of the key elements. …
…. Four main areas emerged across all three environments as needing to be addressed - isolation, transportation, housing, and healthcare. All four are intertwined and impact one another. To create an Age Friendly Community, it is helpful to take a holistic approach, addressing a number of interrelated issues that impact all citizens, not only seniors. It will take the interest and commitment of people of all ages to move the AFC initiative forward, according to Robyn Holdman of Citizens4Community. …