2018PROGRESS REPORT AGE-FRIENDLY COLUMBUS AND FRANKLIN COUNTY agefriendlycolumbus.org DEAR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, It is important to start our progress report by at this same time that the Franklin County reflecting on just how far we have come. Commissioners passed legislation to expand In 2016, we completed our city-wide our work across Franklin County. age-friendly assessment through a random In 2018, Age-Friendly worked, completed or sample survey, focus groups held in six made progress on 14 strategies, ranging from languages, and surveying at various events. In creating new programs to securing funding total, we heard from nearly 1,200 older adults to increase capacity of current programs. We over the course of six months. Our initiative engaged 12 students and eight faculty from started at The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning multiple disciplines including city and regional Commission, outside of the typical “aging planning, nursing, veterinary medicine, design, world,” to challenge cross-sector leaders to theatre and engineering in research activities, work with an “age-in-everything lens.” We including writing publications, grants and dedicated ourselves to planning with, not for, conference presentations. Implementation is our older adults. For us, that meant committees an emotional rollercoaster of fast deadlines, made up of content experts (professionals savvy collaboration, political tip-toeing and working in transit, housing, development, good old-fashioned grass-roots scrappiness. aging, and elected officials) and “experience Each day, we have the privilege of asking our experts” (older adults and individuals with elders what they want and need, gathering disabilities) totaling over 125 volunteers. their ideas for improvements, then identifying We analyzed our data and reconvened our community organizations capable and committees over the course of 2017. Through interested in leading these improvements. multiple committee meetings and a national And, in a perfect world, securing funding to best-practices review, we created a list of empower organizations to do so. As often as potential strategies to make our community possible, our strategies include an element of more age-friendly. We took these strategies an “elder advisory council,” or integrate older and tested them with older adults through a adult volunteers. public workshop. This robust public outreach Although heralded as one of the leading and planning resulted in our strategic plan. cities in the U.S. Network of Age-Friendly Every decision, committee, focus group and Communities, the spirit of this initiative strategy was informed by a cross-sector, lives in our neighborhoods. Whether it’s park multi-generational approach. revitalizations, community focus groups or After completing the research and planning intergenerational cookouts, this initiative phases, we were faced with the decision of celebrates the strength and wisdom of our where to house the implementation phase of elders. Under the mission of Ohio State’s this critical work. The Ohio State University College of Social Work, Age-Friendly believes College of Social Work was the natural choice in dignity and worth of individuals, no matter under the leadership of Lisa Durham, assistant their age, ability or zip code. And with our dean of Strategic Initiatives and Community partners at Franklin County, we will continue to Engagement. The work of Age-Friendly expand this work across our region to ensure was, and continues to be, a reflection of we can all thrive as we age. their dedication to excellence in research, Thank you for your continued support and service, community well-being, and social and contribution. economic justice for vulnerable populations. We made the intentional decision to open Sincerely, an office in Blackburn Community Center, an active recreation center just outside of downtown Columbus, that would allow us Katie White, Director of Age-Friendly to lead grass-roots advocacy efforts. It was Communities, Columbus and Franklin County INTRODUCTION Age-Friendly Columbus entered the World Health Organization and AARP International Network of Age-Friendly Communities in 2016. Working with an advisory council, older adults and individuals with disabilities, a year-long research and assessment phase, followed by a year-long strategic planning phase, resulted in two publications: the Age-Friendly Columbus Findings Report and the Age-Friendly Columbus Strategic Plan. Both documents are available online at agefriendlycolumbus.org. Under the leadership of The Ohio State University College of Social Work, Age-Friendly Columbus is now in the implementation phase. As part of the implementation phase, Franklin County leaders committed to strengthening our efforts through a county-wide expansion. This expansion is made possible through research, inclusive planning and innovative leadership. Together, we are Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County. WORKING TOWARD IMPROVEMENT IN EIGHT FOCUS AREAS ■ Outdoor Spaces and ■ Respect, Inclusion and Social Buildings Participation ■ Transportation ■ Employment and Civic Engagement ■ Housing ■ Communication and Information ■ Safety and Emergency ■ Community Support and Health Preparedness Services CENTRAL OHIO’S 65 AND 40% OF THE COLUMBUS COLUMBUS IS PART OF AN OVER POPULATION WILL POPULATION FEELS ITS INTERNATIONAL NETWORK DOUBLE BY 2050 COMMUNITY HAS NEGATIVE EMBRACING AGE-FRIENDLY STEREOTYPES OF OLDER ADULTS STRATEGIES agefriendlycolumbus.org | 3 PROGRESS ON STRATEGIES Note: The strategy numbers and letters listed below refer to the strategy numbers outlined in the Age-Friendly Strategic Plan. To review the full plan, visit agefriendlycolumbus.org. Strategy 1: Encourage Strategy 4: Encourage the businesses to become use of multi-modal Age-Friendly transportation options a. Checklist created and a. Secured funding and completed peer-reviewed; over community-led planning for 50 businesses reviewed by circulator to be piloted on the Village in the Ville members Hilltop; secured community b. 260 attendees of Gateway Film partners, Greater Hilltop Area Center Age-Friendly movie Shalom Zone and Clintonville screenings Community Resources Center, to lead circulator c. Social Work PhD student completed literature review b. Co-wrote grant to fund travel and focus group, instrument training programs in Franklin County creation and subsequent c. Served on the Ohio Department of trainings underway Transportation’s Mature Road User d. Partnership with Better Statewide Committee Business Bureau of Central Ohio created, list of Age-Friendly Strategy 5: Empower older businesses created on www.bbbAgeFriendly.org adults to prepare their homes to safely age in place a. Five workshops on eviction Strategy 3: Increase prevention with a total of the walkability of sidewalks 150 attendees held by Columbus and streets City Council, Legal Aid Society, and a. Implemented Blackburn Better Next Generation; co-hosted two Block, a tactical urbanism housing stabilization roundtables project, on the Near East Side; with Columbus City Council with best-practices document created 152 attendees d. Piloted Age-Friendly Student in Residence at Ohio Living Westminster Thurber 4 | 2018 Year End Report Strategy 6: Increase access Strategy 12: Increase access to to programs and information information through a variety that allow older adults to age of communication channels in community c. Quantified the positive outcomes b. Completed focus groups on the of the Senior Services Roundtable Hilltop with United Westside through a report on the analyses on Coalition and Greater Hilltop requests, referrals and connections Area Shalom Zone that showed community interest and need for a Strategy 14: Shift negative Hilltop Village; held Franklin County Village Training with 30 attendees stereotypes around aging a. Curriculum created and presentations given; Strategy 8: Prepare older launched #buttonupageism adults and first responders to campaign—promoted to react effectively in case of a national, international and personal emergency intergenerational audiences b. Columbus Division of Fire secured b. Engaged 249 individuals in funding for 560 Knox Boxes (small intergenerational programming safes that hold keys to access buildings in case of emergency) Strategy 16: Support c. Columbus Division of Fire and the grandparents raising Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging grandchildren piloted a paramedicine program b. Joined Ohio Grandparent/Kinship d. The Central Ohio Area Agency on Coalition; supported Advocacy Day Agency conducted trainings for at the Statehouse 220 First Responders Strategy 18: Expand Strategy 10: Promote Age-Friendly mission across intergenerational civic Franklin County participation, cooperation and inclusion a. Convened 12 Franklin County communities to educate on a. Partnered with Metro Early College Age-Friendly practices, gather Middle School to conduct Change information from communities AGEnts class and provide mentorship to b. Presented Age-Friendly guide expansion Communities content across various Ohio State disciplines agefriendlycolumbus.org | 5 2018 TIMELINE • Hilltop Focus Groups Smart Columbus • Age-Friendly • Hackathon Pitch Columbus moves to The Ohio State • Employment For Seniors University College of honors Age-Friendly Social Work with the Charles B. • WOSU story Jenkins Legacy Award • Change AGEnts featuring classes taught at Age-Friendly • Countywide training on Metro Middle School Villages JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Summer BBQs begin • Ribbon