As our population rapidly ages, it’s time to take steps to help our older adults live healthy and active lives.
Data indicates that San Mateo County will have 53 percent more adults between the ages of 65 and 74 by the year 2030 than there are today and the 75- to- 84-year-old age group will experience a 71 percent increase by the year 2030, according to the Commission on Aging.
That’s why San Mateo County launched an innovative, forward-looking initiative to support and enable older persons in our communities. This initiative is called Age-Friendly Cities and is based on a global movement endorsed by the United Nations and led by the World Health Organization.
Leadership around community engagement, planning and evidence-based policy making is required to anticipate and organize community resources so that older people can age with dignity and enjoy an enhanced quality of life.
Most older people wish to age in their communities and within their homes but, with age-related changes, our worlds can become more difficult and problematic. The idea of Age-Friendly Cities is to be intentional and informed about the needs of our older citizens and look at our communities through the lens of an older adult or a person with disabilities.
Indeed, Age-Friendly Cities make life easier for persons of all ages, so they are actually intergenerational. For example, curb cuts make walking and crossing the streets easier for older persons and mothers with a baby carriage.
The World Health Organization released a policy framework on Active Aging in 2002 that is grounded in the principles of “… independence, participation, dignity, care and self-fulfillment … .” This is a holistic approach and takes into consideration the biological, psychological, behavioral, economic, social and environmental factors that affect a person over their lifetime and determines health and well-being as they age.
There are eight domains of an Age-Friendly City that focus on the physical and social environment of a community. By measuring these and identifying gaps and needs, policy makers can make informed, efficient and targeted decisions and policies for programs and services.
Recommended for you
In San Mateo County, we have taken action and officially started an Age-Friendly Cities project with three pilot cities that include Redwood City, Pacifica and Daly City.
The county has contracted with the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence (CAFE), a program of the Los Altos Community Foundation, to guide this effort. CAFE previously provided similar technical assistance to the cities of Santa Clara County, and the county itself, to help them go through the process of being certified to join the World Health Organization network of Age-Friendly Cites.
CAFE has a dedicated and experienced team of experts in the field of aging and community organizing. CAFE is working closely with, and being guided by, a group of community leaders and staff from the San Mateo County Department of Aging and Adult Services and the office of Supervisor Canepa.
To date, CAFE has reached out to community leaders in Redwood City, Pacifica and Daly City and organized three local task forces to inform, guide and promote the process. These task forces are now in place. Diverse and inclusive focus groups have been conducted in Redwood City and focus groups are now scheduled for Pacifica. Meetings with the Daly City task force have just gotten underway. Redwood City is expected to submit its application to WHO to be designated Age-Friendly in the coming months and the mayors of all three pilot cities support this effort.
CAFE utilizes a model of community organizing to work with local residents to gather information on unmet needs in each domain via a variety of focus groups; these focus group reports are shared with each city task force. Next, CAFE explores options with each task force and makes community-specific recommendations for targeted programs and services. Finally, CAFE assists each city task force to apply for an Age-Friendly certification.
The county believes that this project will lead to the creation of cities that respect the diversity of the aging experience and lifestyle choices, promote inclusion of all older persons in community life and anticipate and respond to aging-related needs and preferences of older people and their loved ones.
David J. Canepa serves on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and Anabel Pelham is the founding director of the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence in Los Altos, president of the National Association of Professional Gerontologists and a professor at San Francisco State University.
(6) comments
How are we becoming "age friendly" when seniors who rent are subject to high rent increases and evictions? Where are our affordable senior housing units? Where is the data on how many seniors have been displaced during our economic miracle, and where they have wound up? Most countries that have adopted this model have housing protections in place for all of their residents, but we need to start at ground zero in protecting all people from rent gouging and displacement.
Give seniors a break on property taxes. A priority should be to exempt seniors from ALL bonds and parcel taxes attached to property taxes. Many seniors are forced out of their homes because of high cost of living and taxes in our community.
You've got to be kidding me. Seniors already have a *massive* break on property taxes. It's called Prop 13.
Actually, JordanG, all homeowners eventually benefit from Prop 13, not just seniors. If people do not want to pay for bond measures or for their parcel taxes to increase, they need to stop voting in the representatives that keep proposing these add-ons. Or restrict voting of bond measures or parcel taxes only to homeowners.
Get a clue Jordan, prop 13 only works for people that are maybe 85 and older or if a child inherited the property. I'm going to be 61 this year and have lived in SSF since 1990 my property tax this year was $12,000.00 by the time I can retire what will it be? Prop 13 allows it to increase 1% every year, do the math I will never be able to afford to pay that, along with Measure W, Gas tax SSF sewer tax 46% effectively over the next 4 years. We have been bombarded by taxes yet you think Seniors are getting big breaks. Join us in the real world
David and Anabel: "Age Friendly" sounds dreamy, what is the cost? Why Daly City, Pacifica and RWC? Mr. Canepa the first district elected supervisor can't seem to keep his hands out of the county cookie jar for his beloved Daly City. Pretty soon every city will want it and whamo, you got a new entitlement forever. I told you this would happen and keep your eyes of Seton Medical Center, Mr. Canepa is not done with us yet on that one either.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.