Age-friendly New York CityCADENZA Symposium 2010:

Age-Friendly World Cities & Environment

October 8, 2010 • Hong Kong

Ruth Finkelstein, ScD

Vice-president for Health Policy

Age-Friendly Collaborating Cities AMERICASArgentina, La PlataBrazil, Rio de JaneiroCanada, HalifaxCanada, Portage La PrairieCanada, SaanichCanada, Sherbrooke Costa Rica, San JoseJamaica, KingstonJamaica, Montego BayMexico, CancunMexico, Mexico CityPuerto Rico, MayaguezPuerto Rico, PonceUSA, New YorkUSA, Portland

AFRICAKenya, Nairobi

EUROPEGermany, RuhrIreland, DundalkItaly, UdineRussia, MoscowRussia, TuymazySwitzerland, GenevaTurkey, IstanbulUK, EdinburghUK, London

EASTERN MEDITERRANEANJordan, AmmanLebanon, TripoliPakistan, Islamabad

SOUTH-EAST ASIAIndia, New DelhiIndia, Udaipur

WESTERN PACIFICAustralia, MelbourneAustralia, MelvilleChina, ShanghaiJapan, HimejiJapan, TokyoCredit: BC Ministry of Health

Public Spaces TransportationInformation &

CommunicationHousing

Respect & Social Inclusion

Social Participation

Civic Participation & Employment

Health and Social Services

Domains of City Life

NYC Project

• 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

The Assessment Process

• 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

Growth of NYC’s Older Adult Population

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

1,100,000

1,200,000

1,300,000

1,400,000

1,500,000

2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

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2000 2010 2020 2030

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School-Age

Senior

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

Percentage of NYC Population

Diversity of NYC’s Older Population

• 44% of New Yorkers are immigrants

• 27% of immigrants are 65 or approaching 65

NYC’s Older Immigrant Population

Release of Findings Report

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

Assets of the 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

Challenges of the 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

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

Government Assessment Process

• Self-assessments of City agencies

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

Employment & Economic Security

Volunteerism

Culture & Recreation

Information & Planning

• 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

Goal: Improve social inclusion, civic participation, and employment opportunities for older adults

Community and Civic Participation

Goal: Increase availability and affordability of safe, appropriate housing

Affordable Housing & Development

Homeowner & Renter Assistance

Aging in Place

• 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

Housing Initiatives

Goal: Provide age-friendly public spaces and a safe means for reaching them

Accessible & Affordable Transportation

Safe & Age-friendly Public Spaces

Planning for the Future

• 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

Public Space & Transportation

Goal: Ensure access to health and social services to support independent living

Wellness & Healthcare Planning

Assistance to At-Risk Older Adults

Access to Nutritious Food

• 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

Health and Social Services

Age-friendly NYC Commission• 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

Age-friendly New York CityMayoral Commission

Established 3 working groups:

• Age-friendly Schools, Colleges & Universities

• Age-friendly Business• Aging Improvement Districts

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

Age-friendly 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.

$Making the case to businesses:

Age-friendly Retail Business 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

Age-friendly Retail Business 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

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

Findings from East Harlem AID• 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.

Presenting the Findings Back to the Community

• 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

East Harlem AID Immediate Outcomes

• 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

Lessons Learned

• 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

Contact Information

Ruth Finkelstein, ScDrfinkelstein@nyam.org

Report and other materials are available for download at:www.agefriendlynyc.org