Happy seniors are focus of new Bay County initiative through the State of Michigan. County to Apply for Elder-Friendly Community Designation
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The Bay County Board of Commissioners has initiated an application for designation of the county as an "elder friendly" Community for a Lifetime.
Commissioner Donald J. Tilley, chair of the Human Services Committee, is leading the effort to seek the new state designation "to make Michigan a friendlier place to live for people of all ages so they may be as independent as long as possible and remain in their homes in the communities they love."
Commissioner Tilley noted that Bay County has a high percentage of elders that will increase "reaching numbers without precedent in the first part of the 21st Century."
Local partners in the program are the Bay County Human Services Collaborative Council, Bay County United Way and Senior Task Force. The Bay County Division on Aging Senior Citizen Advisory Committee has been appointed by the board of commissioners as an oversight body to critique the application.
"In order to achieve these mutual goals, cities, townships and counties should begin to build together a place free of physical, emotional and social barriers," said Tilley.
In April 2004, the State Advisory Council on Aging recommended to the Michigan Commission on Aging on Elder Friendly Communities: "The Commission and Office of Services to the Aging should become active participants and state leaders in initiatives to create healthy communities for all ages."
The Council had examined community assets that made a community more livable for older adults and the array of models available to communities to assess their strengths and challenges. The goal of improving community attributes to be responsive to the needs of older adults and others cuts across the various assessments.
MSU-Extension's Vital Aging Think Tank joined with the Office of Services to the Aging to plan development of a Michigan Community for a Lifetime assessment. Working with both an Otsego County and a North Ottawa County community team in piloting and refining the materials, MSU-Extension was then able to develop an assessment that has ten livability attributes and action plan worksheets to help target community improvements.
Michigan has benefited from a strong support for community-based initiatives from state and national organizations. Supporters include community foundations, the "Cool Cities" program, AARP, the National Area Agency on Aging Association, the Administration on Aging, among others.
The Commission on Services to the Aging, in conjunction with key partners, has established a recognition program for communities. Even simple changes, such as lengthening the traffic signal in a shopping area to allow pedestrians more time to cross the street, will require cooperation from many stakeholders.
Cities have lengthened the timing at crosswalks in shopping areas, added benches at bus stops or shopping areas, or repaired sidewalks in shopping districts. Some cities did parking renovations in shopping plazas or improved pedestrian access to city offices.
The first step in the application process is to conduct a community assessment. The Commission recommends public participation and representation by older adults. A panel representing the Commission, the Council, the Office, and MSU will review the applications twice a year (in April and October).
Using the assessment findings, the community group can identify a specific need for improvement. In reviewing the various models and successes in other communities around North America, the changes that improve the livability are often small in scale, but large in significance, said Commissioner Tilley.###
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