Creating Aging Friendly Communities

Faye
Malek

Manitowoc County UW
-
Extension

Family Living Educator, Department Head





Creating Aging Friendly Communities

Today’s Focus

•
Look at demographic trends to understand the
scope of the aging population


•
Ask ourselves what can be done to address
aging friendly communities




How prepared are we?


http://www.governing.c
om/gov
-
data/baby
-
boomers
-
county
-
population
-
map.html


Human Aging

Whether we like it or not, all of us
experience aging.




How is the aging of entire populations most
often measured?


Number of persons age 65+


Percent of persons age 65+


Median age

Measuring the Population

There are several ways to graphically illustrate
the aging of a population. One of the most
common is the population pyramid.

Number (millions)

Factors Affecting Population Aging

T
he
“shape” of a
population

pyramid is determined by a
combination of several factors. One is birth rate.








Population Aging

Four Perspectives

Global

National

State

County

Population Aging
A Global Perspective

Within the next 10 years, for the first time in
recorded human history….

…
the percentage of persons age 65+ in the world
will be greater than those age 5 and younger

Considerable Interest

in Global Aging

Population
Age 65 or
Older
2007

Older people now constitute 15% of the
combined population of
developed
nations,
but they will account for 26% by 2050.

Population Aging
U.S. Perspective


Life Expectancy at Birth from
1900 to 2010

-


a
n Increase of 30+ Years

47.3

78.3

Life Expectancy at Birth
1900
-
2050

(United States)


Life Expectancy Calculator


http://
gosset.wharton.upenn.edu/mortality/perl/CalcF
orm.html



The baby boomers


started turning 65 in January 2011.
Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 of them
will turn 65 every day

and this will
continue for 20 years.



Median Age by State
2010

Percentage of Americans
Age 65
Expected to Survive to
Age 90

Population Aging
WI Perspective

Number of Persons in Wisconsin
Turning Age 65 Each Year
2000
-
2030

2011:

Baby Boomers
begin turning 65

Population Pyramids for
Wisconsin
1900 and 2035

Percent of Population Age 65+

2010

Ranked 1
st

17.3%

Ranked
24th
13.7%

Persons Age 65+ by County

2010 and 2035























See Handout

Population Growth Over Time

0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020 Projection
% Growth Since 1960
Manitowoc County Population Growth Since 1960
With Comparison to Eastern Extension District and State of Wisconsin
Manitowoc County
Eastern District
Wisconsin
What impacts
w
ill aging
h
ave on
Manitowoc County?

Qualities of

Aging
-
Friendly Communities

Handout

Qualities or Attributes of an Aging
-
Friendly Community

•
Inclusive

•
Sustainable

•
Healthy

•
Accessible

•
Interdependent

•
Engaged

Source:
Thomas, W. H.,
& Blanchard, J.
M. (2009).
Moving beyond
Place: Aging in
community.
Generations,

33(2), 12
-
17.

Identifying the impacts of, and
possible responses to, an aging
population.

Partners for Livable Communities

Community
“Report
Card”
–

How
“ageless” is
your
community?

http://livable.org/storage/documents/Services/Technical_Assistance/Aging_in_plac
e_technical_assistance2010.pdf

World Health
Organization Guide

http://www.who.int/ageing/publications/Age_friendly_cities_checklist.pdf


Checklist of
essential
features of age
-
friendly cities

Survey

Focus of Survey

The focus of the Survey is to collect information on the
extent to which a person perceives that the community in
which they reside has “aging
-
friendly characteristics” in
each of 14 areas. After reading a list of aging
-
friendly
attributes for each area, the respondent indicates how
many on in her/his community.

1 = None of them

2 = A few of them

3 = About half of them

4 = Most of them

5 = All of them


Unless America makes
a
commitment
to
livable, “aging
-
friendly” communities
, baby
boomers and
other persons of
a
range of
ages and with a
variety
of abilities
will find it
difficult to
age successfully
and
remain
engaged with
their
communities.


Those communities
that
design for
livability empower
their residents
to remain
independent and
engaged,
and
offer a
better quality of life.

A Call for Action

How prepared are we?


•
Is our community a good place
to grow up and grow old?


•
Will it meet our needs when we
are 65, 75, 85, 95…or even 105?


•
If not,
what can we do now
to
begin to make it a friendly and
supportive environment for
persons of all ages?

Are you willing to take the risk?