May is Older Americans’ Month—a time to celebrate Communities of Strength. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens’ Month, and it eventually became known as Older Americans’ Month. At that time, there were only 17 million Americans age 65 or older. About a third of those older adults lived in poverty, and there were few programs to meet their needs.
According to the North Carolina Medical Journal, an estimated 21.4% of adults aged 65 years or older live with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Per the CDC’s National Diabetes Statistics Report-2020, North Carolina is ranked 7th in the nation for diabetes related deaths. Diabetes is a complex condition requiring the person living with it to make ongoing decisions throughout the day to maintain their blood sugar levels to control short-term and long-term complications from the disease.
Older adults often express a desire to remain living independently in their homes as long as possible. In order to meet this collective preference, especially in the coming decades, communities will not only need to offer more senior housing, but also housing that is more accessible and affordable. Continue reading to learn about 1) older adult housing trends 2) ways communities can help 3) housing grants / programs and 4) community planning policies.
In 2016, Centralina’s Family Caregiver Program Coordinator Sara Maloney and Ashley Stevens aka “The Dementia Guru” convened community stakeholders to start the area’s very own chapter of Dementia Friendly America. With help from Centralina Area Agency on Aging, UNC Charlotte’s Gerontology Program and members from local government aging programs, the volunteer-based organization became known as Dementia Friendly Charlotte Mecklenburg (DFCM).
Did you know adults age 65 and older are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fire or falls, and at age 75 the risk increases to three times that of the general population?
The Centers for Disease Control stated that older adults are among those that should not travel at all over the holidays due to the risk of COVID-19 exposure. This also includes having family members travel to the older adult as well.
Through interactive discussions, polling and presentations, we heard from over thirty elected officials and executives about their top concerns related to the pandemic. Our team listened for opportunities to adjust our services and programming to better support COVID-19 response, recovery and relief.
Area Agencies on Aging were established through the Older Americans Act to facilitate and support programs that address the needs of older adults. Community planning is one of several mandated functions that these agencies are required to perform. Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) utilizes a variety of planning tools to meet these needs.
Did you know that North Carolina ranks ninth in the nation for the number of people 65 and older? By 2025, one in five NC residents will be 65+. In addition, the CDC estimates that one out of every four Americans has a disability, defined as a significant limitation to one or more major life activities.
In addition to addressing known community issues, the initiative took a holistic approach to educate and empower the community to become advocates for themselves. These are a few steps Vincent Wong and the association took to foster a model of shared governance.