Putting it all together.. a road towards policy change & an Age-Friendlier city

7-30-18

When I first started building this company, I didn’t think too far into the future. I knew that I need to do something with my Gerontology degree and I knew that I wanted to stay in my pretty lil almost-country-but-not-quite town that my kids have grown up in and love as much as if not more-so than I do. One of the first things I did with my career was to find the most local internship that I could find, which was what led me to the Sandy Senior Center.

For the first several months of my year-long internship, I assisted the program coordinator Sarah with whatever she needed done and I hung out with the participants. Last year it was common for there to be a dozen or more participants, but participation has waned greatly since that time. We would go to our corner table after the center’s lunch program ended and we would start by doing an easy project, crafts or gardening or something else that was fun and easy for people of all skill levels and abilities. Every other week the musician would come by and play his ukulele (shout out to Jeff the music man!), which delighted everyone. Even the least verbal of the group, who are unable to string together more than three words or so at a time, sung along when their favorite songs were played.

Smiles are a treasure from her and many participants who live in deep depression, as well as their family caregivers. The joy that she was able to partake of when he played her favorite songs stuck with me the first time I witnessed it and every time thereafter. I began bringing my phone fully charged and putting on Pandora or YouTube every chance I could; a quick song became my favorite way to lighten the room. This wasn’t my only tool, I discovered that sensory activities and creating held their joys as well, but music was key for people who find it difficult to relate with other senses that are diminished with the advanced age and nature of Alzheimer’s disease. Check out my Pinterest board for ideas to engage your older friends living with dementia.

Not only did I get the chance to spend so much time with people living with Alzheimer’s disease that I can see ways to improve their lives through city programs, but I also got a glimpse into the struggle of the family caregiver. My supervisor Cami, an Alzheimer’s Association Advocate and social services manager for over 30 years, showed me the behind the scenes struggle of the caregiver and the city struggling to meet the needs of the elderly in poverty. This overwhelming network of information inspired me to take action.

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Upon researching, I discovered that while Portland, a city about 20 miles away, has a vast aging network and a city Aging council, Sandy has no programs outside of the Senior Center designed to service the retired and approaching retirement population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the population of people ages 60 and older will double by 2025, and double again by 2050.

To me, it seems like cities that already attract a lot of older people will be at special risk for an excessive population of older people. In Sandy, we already have a wonderful community for retired farmers and other older American communities. There are two large (read: Corporate) retirement communities and many adult day care centers as well as funeral homes. This city has the infrastructure to get old and retire but doesn’t yet have the aging-friendly amenities such as free community art and education, social service opportunities and expanded pedestrian systems.

The bus system works fairly well but sidewalks have been overrun by neglected plants, trash and vehicles that don’t care to stop at crosswalks. The city has plans in place to expand transit options for pedestrians but I fear it will take too many years when we have a population that needs the ability to walk through town today.

Currently, the cities population reports indicate that the youth population is growing the fastest out of all the groups in Sandy. I’ve lived here for nearly 5 years now and I can attest that this is a fact. The city has been increasing exponentially; there are new apartment communities cropping up on seemingly every corner, the roads are gridlocked from dusk til dawn, trash is everywhere and programs have been running out of funding and managers. The city clocks this population expansion at 93% per year, a hardly sustainable number for a small farming community. School programs have been going understaffed and while there are a couple local non-profits dedicated to serving the youth, like the AntFarm, I see the youth not having enough to do and as a result the crime has increased.

Mailboxes are tampered with, cars broken into, graffiti everywhere, lewd acts caught by kids in the park.. some of this can be attributed to an increasing homeless population and drug problems spilling over from nearby larger cities.. but I have seen personally groups of teenagers causing these problems. I agree completely with the city that the youth needs a special council to deal with the problems facing an expanding youth population.

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I propose that the city also considers the plight of the older citizen, facing economic insecurity and an increasingly hostile living environment being overrun by youth who are often inconsiderate and hostile themselves. I think the city needs more people to build and implement plans to create an inclusive living environment for people across the life spans. City projects that benefit the entire family will do the most good for society. I propose that we include members of the family across the lifespan to help each other come to new solutions to old problems.

When I was growing up, I lived in poverty and rough neighborhoods with generally terrible outcomes. Luckily, I also had teachers that paid extra attention to me and I had older adults in my extended family that also gave me attention, taking me to protests and art installations and to help feed the homeless. I don’t see this type of behavior mirrored in my society; I see some opportunities but way too many people and not enough managers. Come to think of it, the last time I heard a parent mention bringing their teen to help at the local soup kitchen, it was meant to be a form of punishment for having skipped school! True civil service needs to be in the vein of the internal reward gained from doing good for your community and keeping your world nice, not as a way to punish yourself into remembering to behave.

Not enough people with the skills know how to break into mentorship and I think I have a solution for this problem; use the pool of citizens in every community to create a network of mentors, mentees, volunteers and community leaders. I plan to take my idea to city hall this upcoming First Monday meeting. Everyone gets to speak for 5 minutes and I plan to bring this mission and action plan to the city council. The city has recently enacted a Youth Council and I want to vote to also create a Council on Aging. I think we can follow the footsteps of Portland, who was among the first cities to join the World Health Organization (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities program.

An age friendlier city would have more caregiver support throughout the lifespan, meaning respite for caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease survivors as well as childcare options for working parents. Age friendly communities would be emotionally inclusive, tending to the personal growth and development of each communities citizens. We need a focus on human development and mastery.

But Savana, where are we going to find the managers you speak of for all these wonderful FREE programs for citizens? Who would teach for free? Well, I have, and I have met many young and old community educators more than happy to give away their knowledge. Outside of the philanthropic educator, I want to inspire in the citizen that they could also be competent teachers. With an organization in place with this goal in mind, we could bring the chance to learn and to teach to everyone in our already great town, only making it greater.

I propose we bring back the mentor and make volunteering a mandatory requirement for receiving services. It is my personal belief that everyone has something to contribute just as much as everyone has something that they need help with.

If you like the idea and want to support my Age-friendly cities initiative and creation of an Aging council, I hope to see you at the city council meeting August 6, 2018 at 7pm at Sandy City Hall. Let's tackle aging together, as a community!