Title: A Great City for Older Adults
1- A Great City for Older Adults
- Results of Burlington Research and Planning
- Vermont Planning Conference
- November 30, 2007
Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur AARP Vermont
2What is the Burlington Livable Community Project?
- A collaborative process between AARP Vermont,
City of Burlington, stakeholder organizations
and residents of Burlington, articulating a
vision for increasing Burlingtons livability as
its population ages.
3- AARP defines a livable community as one that has
affordable housing, supportive community features
and services, and adequate mobility options,
which together facilitate personal independence
and the engagement of residents in civic and
social life. - Initial focus on housing, mobility and community
engagement
4Year One Four Major Research Activities
- Focus Groups
- Citizen/Stakeholder Groups
- Housing, Mobility, Community Engagement
- Pedestrian Evaluation
- Telephone Survey
5Wisdom gleaned from citizen participants
I take the car to places I could walk because
getting across the street Shelburne Road is so
difficult.
When you get old, youre no longer who you were
nobody knows you except as an old person. The
fact is, we have a treasure trove of experience
and interesting things to share.
Theres things Burlington has to offer if you
have really great resources. You can find a
terrific place to live. And I think if you are
in a poverty situation, you can find some place
to live. But that middle when I sell my house
to downsize, where am I going to go?
6BLCP Survey of Age 45 Burlington Residents
37 Male 63 Female
7BLCP Survey of Age 45 Burlington Residents
8Housing
- 77 own 23 rent
- 1/3 of renters in senior housing rest are in
non-age restricted housing - 38 live alone 52 with spouse or partner 29
live with family 3 friend
9Housing
- Residents living alone more likely to live
downtown (71) or in the Old North End (50) - 90 agree with the statement What Id really
like to do is stay in my neighborhood and home
for as long as possible.
10Housing
- Items that make it difficult to stay in own home
or community - Financial issues top the list such as affording
property taxes, rent, and utilities - Significant concerned about factors that could
limit their independence such as not being able
to drive and getting help with personal care and
chores
11Mobility
- Majority of 45 get out at least 5x/week
- Residents 75 get out much less frequently
compared to younger residents they are 2x as
likely to get out only 2x per week or less - Lower income and lower education residents also
get out less frequently
12Mobility
- 76 of residents 45 driveas primary mode of
transportation - 65 for those 75 and older drive as primary mode
- Residents 75 more frequently miss out on
opportunities because of lack of transportation
true for lower income and lesser education
13Mobility
- 30 use the bus occasionally of these 40 report
taking the bus within the past 2 months - Residents with income below 35K take the bus
more frequently 53 reported taking the bus at
least weekly in past 2 months - Negatives about the bus
- Lack of weekend or evening service
- Lack of adequate shelter or place to sit while
waiting - Inconvenient schedules
- 1 Reason for not using the bus 52 report they
drive or have other transportation
14CommunityEngagement
- About 60 of residents are part of some kind of
group same percentage volunteer. - Those 75 cite health or disability and lack of
transportation as reasons they dont volunteer. - Educational opportunities topped the list of
activities people wanted in Burlington.
15Report to City
- A Great City for Older Adults An Action Plan for
Burlington - Final report on research with vision and
recommended action items presented to Mayor and
City Council in May, 2007
16RecommendedActions
HOUSING
-
- Infrastructure
- Develop senior housing game plan with range of
options across income levels - Need housing that is multi-generational, designed
to promote community and connection, convenient
to services activities - Upgrade existing housing stock, with home
modification and repair - Provide more options for congregate housing
home sharing, cooperatives, continuing care
communities and accessory apartments - Provide more dementia care facilities, assisted
living residences and supportive housing options
for low and middle income residents - Participate in city planning processes to promote
livable community policies
17RecommendedActions
HOUSING
- AGING IN PLACE SERVICES
- Facilitate growth of support services explore
development of naturally occurring retirement
communities (NORCs) with a hub that provides
services to the neighborhood - Enhance communication of information and
networking amongst agencies with targeted
services for elders - Advocate at the state and national level for
increased financial support of programs
delivering services to elders in their homes
18RecommendedActions
MOBILITY
- PEDESTRIAN
- Prioritize pedestrian improvements longer walk
signals for crossing major streets, ample public
benches along major routes, better lighting of
bus stops, parking lots parking garages - Expand enforce pedestrian friendly
ordinancesfor effective and safe shared use of
sidewalks between pedestrians, bicyclists,
skateboarders, and electric vehicles
19RecommendedActions
MOBILITY
- PUBLIC TRANSIT INNOVATION
- Improve weekend and night bus service, expand
service area, and increase service frequency - Work with community and state leaders to increase
funding for public transportation - Explore partnerships with community non-profits,
businesses, and institutions to get people to
events and activities - Increase marketing of the benefits and
convenience of using public transportation - Research and encourage the establishment of
innovative programs such as Zip Cars, car
donation and volunteer driver programs
20RecommendedActions
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
- SENIOR PROGRAMMING
- Build wide array of enrichment opportunities for
senior population in collaboration with senior
centers, colleges, and cultural and recreational
institutions - Integrate consideration of limited mobility
access issues and other needs of older adults in
event and program planning - Develop capacity within city government with an
ombudsman or council/commission to represent
BLCP and senior issues.
21RecommendedActions
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
- TAPPING EXPERTISE OF ELDERS
- Create a city culture that recognizes and uses
the rich experiences of its elder population
through strong volunteer/mentoring programs - Work with the business community to develop
innovative older worker employment policies - Encourage seniors to share the wisdom of the
senior voice through active civic engagement on
boards and committees throughout the city - Train and organize citizens to advocate for
policy change at the state and local level.
22Implementation
- STAKEHOLDERS
- Stakeholders continuing to meet quarterly
- Work groups on housing and community engagement
established - Relationship with City formalized
- Participation in development of Citys
Transportation Plan
23Implementation
- RESIDENTS
- Close to 200 residents have participated and AARP
will continue to engage them as volunteers and
advocates - Volunteer programs pedestrian evaluations, home
modification/repair, neighborhood engagement - Web site
24BLCP Stakeholders
- AARP Vermont
- Burlington CEDO
- Burlington City Arts
- Burlington Housing Authority
- Burlington Parks Recreation
- Burlington Police Department
- Burlington Public Works
- Cathedral Square Corporation
- CCTA
- Champlain Senior Center
- Champlain Valley Agency on Aging
- Champlain Long Term Care Coalition
- Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning
Organization - Community of Vermont Elders (COVE)
- Converse Home
- Ethan Allen Residence
- FAHC Community Health Improvement
- FAHC Elder Care
- Fletcher Free Library
- Greater Burlington YMCA
- Heineberg Senior Center
- HomeShare Vermont
- Snelling Center for Government
- United Way Foster Grandparents RSVP
- UVM Department of Continuing Education
- UVM Transportation Center
- Vermont Interfaith Action
- Vermont LGBTQ Elders Project
- Vermont Refugee Resettlement Project
- Visiting Nurse Association
25To Get Involved in the BLCP
- CONTACT
- Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur
- AARP VT
- 112 State St. 5th Floor
- Montpelier, VT 05602
- 802 224-1113
- jwbrodeur_at_aarp.org
- www.aarp.org/vt
26A Great City for Older Adults