In partnership with the Mayor and the
New York City Council, the New York Academy of Medicine launched
Age-friendly
New York City, an exciting new initiative designed to make New York a better
place in which to grow old. Founded in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine
is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit institution whose mission is to enhance
the health of the public. Its research, education, community engagement, and evidence-based
advocacy seeks to improve the health of people living in cities, especially disadvantaged
and vulnerable populations. The impact of these initiatives reaches into neighborhoods
in New York City, across the country, and around the world. It works with community
based organizations, academic institutions, corporations, the media, and government
to catalyze and contribute to changes that promote health.
The Academy's
Age-friendly New York City initiative is
part of a global campaign initiated by the
World
Health Organization (WHO). The WHO's Ageing and Life Course Programme convened
35 cities from 22 countries on every continent to learn from older people what
they need to age happily and healthfully. From the perspective of seniors, age-friendly
cities are accessible to, and inclusive of, older people with varying needs and
capacities, particularly in eight areas of city life:
- outdoor spaces
and buildings;
- transportation;
- housing;
- respect and
social inclusion;
- social participation;
- communication and information;
-
civic participation and employment; and,
- community support and health
services.
The study led to a checklist designed to help cities evaluate
their age-friendliness in these eight areas and stimulate local mobilization efforts
for improvement. The WHO age-friendly framework is the cornerstone of the Academy's
Age-friendly New York City initiative,
which marks an exciting opportunity for New York to join a network of global cities
- such as London, Moscow, Mexico City, and New Delhi - using the protocol and
working to address issues of aging, urbanization, and globalization. A steering
committee of policymakers, service providers, community leaders, and seniors was
convened to advise the Academy on the implementation of a comprehensive assessment
as well as the analysis and dissemination of results. This process includes:
- Self-assessment
of City agencies
The Mayor's Office charged the Commissioners of
various City agencies -- including the Parks Department, the Department of Transportation,
Small Business Services, the Department of City Planning, and the Office of Immigrant
Affairs, among others - with engaging in an "age-friendly" self-assessment of
their agencies informed by the Academy's process and preliminary findings. This
process resulted in the Mayor releasing a report about the City's plans to improve
New York's age-friendliness. - Expert
roundtables
The New York Academy of Medicine and the New York City
Council convened a series of roundtable discussions chaired by prominent New Yorkers
to bring together experts in a number of fields. Roundtable topics included:
- Business, chaired by Partnership
for New York City President Kathryn Wylde,
- Housing
Development, chaired by Citizens Housing and Planning Council Executive
Director Jerilyn Perine,
- Civic Engagement,
Wagner School of Public Service Associate Professor Walter Stafford,
- Transportation
and Outdoor Space, chaired by Straphangers Campaign Senior Attorney Gene
Russianoff,
- Tenant Rights, chaired
by Citywide Taskforce on Housing Court Executive Director Louise Seeley,
-
Social Services, chaired by United Way
of New York City CEO Gordon Campbell,
- Health,
chaired by New York Academy of Medicine President Jo Ivey Boufford
- Opportunities
for public participation
Mechanisms were created to allow City residents
of all ages to voice their opinions and put forth their ideas for making New York
City more age-friendly. The Academy and the City Council held Community Forums
in all five boroughs to solicit public input from 1460 people. Residents unable
to participate in the forums visited the initiative's website, www.AgeFriendlyNYC.org,
to e-mail their suggestions or completed a City Council Constituent Feedback Form.
In addition, the Academy released a formal "Request for Information" to hear from
stakeholders about the policy and regulatory changes needed in order to make the
city more age-friendly. In all, these activities resulted in more than 500 specific
suggestions about what could done to make New York a better place for older adults.
- Secondary
research
The Academy conducted a review of existing literature and
studies to ascertain what is known about the unique experience of aging in New
York City - and where knowledge gaps exist. This literature search is also explored
the effective strategies and innovative policies implemented in urban areas around
the globe that may offer direction to New York City. - Focus
groups with seniors
The Academy conducted a number of additional
focus groups to incorporate the views of vulnerable populations of seniors often
underrepresented in secondary research, including immigrants, isolated seniors,
those in poverty, and others. - Data
mapping
The Academy's Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies
worked with local academic institutions to map various data points relating to
New York City's older population and the environments in which they live. This
mapping provides a visual understanding of what is occurring in local communities.
In the Fall of 2008, the Academy analyzed this collected information
and published a
Toward
an Age-friendly New York City: a Findings Report, which is available
at
www.nyam.org. To move from the assessment
to the implementation stage, NYAM has been working closely with its public partners
to seat a high-level Commission for an Age-friendly New York - a public-private
partnership that will set recommendations, work towards their implementation,
and issue annual reports of its progress.
