GenPhilly

A Strategy for Improving the Sustainability of Aging in Community Initiatives

Abstract

Many initiatives to enhance the ability of older adults to age in community are being seen as a critical component of strategies to increase neighborhood quality of life (Thomas & Blanchard, 2009). Age-friendly cities, Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Supportive Service Programs (NORC SSP), Villages, and Lifelong Communities, among others, are all examples of such programs. While they often succeed in meeting their goals, a constant challenge can be sustainability (Greenfield, Scharlach, Lehning, & Davitt, 2012). Unlike traditional aging programs and services funded by federal and state mandates, the funding for these programs is often not stable. In addition to financial constraints, another sustainability obstacle is that most professions outside of social services have not traditionally been concerned with aging-specific issues until recently (Lawler, 2009). If the majority of disciplines are not talking about the needs of seniors, it is probably safe to say they have also not been training the next generation of professionals to think about how an aging population will affect their work. At the same time, aging network administrators must also consider the importance of recruiting, supporting, and maintaining the aging network workforce (Lee, Damron-Rodriguez, Lawrance, & Volland, 2009). These new administrators must learn about the importance of building collaborations with professionals from a variety of fields that affect neighborhood environments, such as housing and transportation planning, which have a significant impact on the lives of people of all ages.