Thursday, November 8, 2007 the RAPSU General Membership Meeing presentation will be "Creating an Age-Friendly City" by Margaret B. Neal, Ph.D. Director, Institute on Aging, and Professor, Community Health Portland State University. The program will be in the Multicultural Center, Room 228 Smith Hall. The social gathering will start at 12:30 PM. The program will be from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
Over the next 30 years, the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area will see dramatic growth in the proportion of the population that is aged 65 and older. Although the total population will increase about 47 percent, the 65+ population will more than double, growing by over 137 percent and comprising 17 percent of the population in 2030 compared to 10.5 percent in 2000. Fueling this increase will be the aging of the baby boomers.
In an effort to plan for our aging world, in 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated its “Age-Friendly Cities Project.” Portland, via the Institute on Aging at Portland State University, was the only U.S. city to participate among the 33 cities from 22 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
The goal of the project was to identify concrete indicators of an age-friendly city and produce a practical guide for citizens, policy makers, businesses, and social and health service providers to stimulate and guide advocacy, community development, and policy change. Topics discussed include outdoor spaces and buildings; transportation; housing; respect and social inclusion; social participation; civic participation and employment; communication and information; and community support and health services.
This presentation will share the local results of the project, as well as the checklist developed by the WHO. It will highlight the age-friendly features that already exist in Portland as well as signal a few opportunities to make the city even more age-friendly. Action steps for implementation by city, county, region, PSU, and other interested groups will also be suggested, as an age-friendly city is a city friendly for all ages and abilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment