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5 <br />I. AGING-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE <br />In 2003, the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services adopted a new initiative called <br />"Livable and Senior-Friendly Communities." Rather than follow the state's lead and focus solely <br />on the older population segment as implied in its initiative title, MAP chose the term "Aging- <br />Friendly Community," since aging is a process beginning at birth and ending with death. Thus, <br />Aging-Friendly Communities' designs should be livable for all ages. To promote healthy aging <br />for all, a preventive approach must be used. The central feature of aging-friendly communities <br />is the incorporation of active living features such as sidewalks, parks, and street lights, which <br />are close to essential services and are designed to accommodate different functional <br />capacities. (www.activelivingbydesign.org). Community and government services and practices <br />should also reflect the aging-friendly concept and "person-centered" approach as we age. <br />The adopted Master Aging Plan new Initiative: "Building Aging-Friendly Communities in <br />Orange" promotes and encourages the involvement of everyone, starting first with Orange <br />County government, all of its departments and advisory boards and expanding outward to <br />towns and community groups. MAP's Call to Action: Improve the infrastructure and services <br />to meet the needs of older adults who desire to age in place, especially those with functional <br />disabilities and impairments. <br />Why is the MAP initiative critical? The face of Orange County and its towns is dramatically <br />changing to a much older community with retirees moving here and older persons living much <br />longer lives. New growth projections just released by the state demographer indicate that <br />Orange County's older population over age 60 will be 41,398 in the year 2029 in comparison <br />with just 27,893 children from birth to 17 years of age. This translates in to 1 out of every 4 <br />Orange County residents (24.67%) being over age 60 and only 1 out of every 6 residents <br />(16.63%) being a child or youth age 0 to 17. This demographic imperative will have a major <br />impact on every institution-- government, business and the faith community, etc., and requires <br />that we plan now. <br />An Aging-Friendly Community Assessment/Audit Tool <br />While the new initiative was adopted by the County Commissioners on May 15, 2007 and <br />endorsed by towns as a principle, no formal workgroup structure has been formed to <br />develop a community assessment/audit tool covering the major components of an aging- <br />friendly community that impacts quality of life. Those components, identified by the N.C. <br />Division of Aging and Adult Services, are: Physical and Accessible Environment, Healthy Aging, <br />Economic Security, Technology, Safety and Security, Social and Cultural Opportunity, Access <br />and Choice in Services and Supports and Public Accountability and Responsiveness. In <br />developing such a local assessment tool, the N.C. Division of Aging recommended the <br />assessment of each component on six dimensions: existence, adequacy, accessibility, <br />efficiency/duplication, equity and effectiveness/quality. (www.dhhs.state.nc.us/aping). <br />An assessment tool should be developed in consultation with the N.C. Division of Aging and <br />Adult Services, the International City/County Management Association (www.icma.org) and <br />other professional organizations that have identified health and livable communities as an <br />important management strategy for older adults. <br />2 <br />