An Aging in Place Agenda through Other Organizations
Some 15 years after beginning Partners’ work on aging, suddenly, the skies began to lift and enormous interest began to surface on an advocacy issue Partners had begun in 1989. AARP and Fannie Mae signed a five-year, multi-million dollar joint venture on expanding housing options and financial resources to support Aging in Place across America. AARP created a leadership forum entitled, “Livable Communities” with Aging in Place being one of their key agendas. And the Society for Arts and Healthcare proposed a joint venture with Partners to ensure that aging, even for older adults in good health, was seen as a component of a broad health and welfare application of arts and culture for community betterment.
Federal momentum also commenced with the White House Conference on Aging in December 2005. The Office of Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requested that consultants focus upon “Livable Communities and Aging in Place” as a frame of reference and the top 10 resolutions reflected a willingness to blend housing, mobility and health services for residents to be as independent as possible while living within their community.
The National League of Cities under their Cities in Transition Agenda has twice asked Partners to develop issues to raise Aging in Place concerns among their members. The Surface Transportation Coalition has mounted a working group under the banner of Aging in Place/Livable Communities. In addition, the US Environmental Protection Agency expanded its framework and is now actively working to promote the health of older adults by improving the environment.
Finally, a whole new set of terms began to appear over the last several years. In 2002, Partners began talking about an “ageless” community where age is no barrier to safety and enjoyment, including people with special needs and older adults. Partners believes that a livable community should have no age barriers. Increasingly, these terms are beginning to be used in both the popular and professional press and current zoning ordinances are being altered to accept new standards.
