A city for all ages

“It`s not how old you are, it`s how you are old.” 
― Jules Renard

Bustling cities humming with creativity are synonymous with youth and viewed as the engines of successful economies. Given that context, the convergence of urbanization and a graying population may carry negative connotations. For example, one million of New York City’s 8.2 million residents are older adults, one in every 5 New Yorkers will be over the age of 60 by 2030, and many retirees are likely to outlive a $1 million nest egg. In addition, an estimated 320,000 Gotham residents were identified as Alzheimer’s disease sufferers in 2010. Nearly one in every three seniors who dies each year has this incurable neurodegenerative disease or another form of dementia. Taken together with the knowledge that three out of four adults over the age of 65 have multiple chronic conditions, the data may reinforce negative stereotypes about aging and reinforce a cycle of depression and inaction. Fortunately, the World Health Organization has developed a framework for age-friendly cities that has been tailored to the needs of a graying Gotham by several groups, including the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM).

Armed with the knowledge that a positive view of aging correlates with higher levels of functioning among older adults, the groups have focused on the following areas:

1.       Rewarding age-friendly employers. Approximately 20% of New York City’s workforce (700,000 people) is ≥ 55 years old and many want or need to work past retirement age. The NYAM, supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, has launched a new awards program rewarding employers “who promote policies and practices that optimize the multi-generational workplace as part of a 21st century.”

2.       Encouraging local business initiatives. Older New Yorkers have expressed a preference for shopping locally and are loyal to local businesses. A controlled study of select participating businesses showed an increase in sales in comparison to businesses that did not participate in the age-friendly local business initiative.

3.       Improving quality of life in neighborhoods through age-improvement districts (AIDs). A best-practices toolkit has been developed and real-world results after one year in East Harlem AID reflect rapid changes in the community and a desire among those who work with older adults to think more broadly about their needs.

4.       Removing barriers to education. Older New Yorkers wishing to enhance their skills at local colleges and universities may face barriers such as affordability, access to information and offerings, and environments that feel unwelcoming to older adults. Existing affordable learning opportunities for older adults have been catalogued in the Age-friendly NYC College Link database. Seniors who wish to learn new skills can also avail themselves of other resources such as Senior Planet.

5.       Increasing disaster preparedness and responses. Citywide- and Hurricane-Sandy-specific data have been collected in order to understand the needs and assets of older adults during disasters.

6.       Spreading the age-friendly-NYC message through all sectors of life. Key professional organizations championing this cause include American Institute of Architects, the New York Public Library, the New York City Bar Association, Touro School of Pharmacy and the Cultural Institutions Group

7.       Informing older adults about available resources in a city composed of 59 community districts and where over 170 languages are spoken. The Age-friendly-NYC initiative has provided links to media coverage of ongoing communications and public-engagement efforts.

One of the features of this program is health-and-wellness resources, including an Alzheimer’s and caregivers’ resource center. A 2013 progress report on 59 initiatives can be found here.