Today kicks off an effort by the City of Columbus with the backing of several other groups to make Columbus a greater place to live for its senior residents.
Age-Friendly Columbus – an initiative to better equip the city for an expected boom in its 65+ age population in the coming decades – is hosting its first neighborhood forum today, Oct. 11, in the city’s North Side neighborhood of Beechwold.
What comes out of the 12:30-2 p.m. meeting today at the Whetstone Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, 3909 N. High St., will guide the focus of an Oct. 25 walking tour, or “walk audit” of Beechwold.
Then the process will be repeated for the Linden area of the city: An Oct. 20 forum at St. Stephens Community House, 1500 E. 17th Ave., will be followed by a “walk audit” of that neighborhood Oct. 26.
Age-Friendly Columbus is financially supported by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, Franklin County Office on Aging, The Columbus Foundation, National Church Residences, and AARP Ohio.
It is organized by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and overseen by an Advisory Council and numerous subcommittees. Membership of the council includes Columbus City Council members, City of Columbus staff, professionals, and advocates.
Launching the now live agefriendlycolumbus.org website was an early priority of the inititative.
According to the site, the need for the work is obvious:
“Central Ohio’s 65+ population is expected to double in the next 35 years. This poses a great opportunity for the region to ensure that as people age and their abilities change, Columbus is able to provide easy access to services, amenities, and opportunities,” it says.
Eight focus areas have been established, “working within the World Health Organization and AARP Livable Communities guidelines.”
The focus areas are:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
- Provide safe and accessible indoor and outdoor places for older adults to gather and utilize. These include, but are not limited to, parks, sidewalks, public buildings, and community support and/or health services facilities.
- Transportation
- Ensure that older adults can get to where they need to go affordably, safely, and easily by using a multi-modal transportation system.
- Housing
- Ensure Housing that older adults have access to affordable, accessible, and safe housing options in the neighborhood of their choice.
- Safety and Emergency Preparedness
- Engage a variety of cross-sector organizations and agencies to create a comprehensive response plan to ensure the safety of older adults in the event of a personal or large-scale emergency.
- Respect, Inclusion, and Social Participation
- Honor what each older adult has to offer and encourage participation regardless of age, ethnicity, or race. Provide purposeful opportunities that are accessible, affordable, and person-centered.
- Employment and Civic Engagement
- Provide ways older people can, if they choose, work for pay, volunteer their skills, and be actively engaged in community life.
- Communication and Information
- Recognizing that older adults communicate and receive information in various ways which may be different than other age groups, ensure they have access that meets their needs.
- Community Support and Health Services
- Ensure that older adults are able to access and afford the community and health services that they require.
According to the website:
“When Age-Friendly Columbus is complete, our city will be a place for people of all ages and abilities. A city where everyone is active, no matter their age, and living a high quality of life. Where neighborhoods thrive on community support and have innovative transportation and housing options.”
Those sound like wonderful goals. Browning & Meyer wishes all involved the best of luck with the extensive effort.
Find more information at http://agefriendlycolumbus.org.