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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 - Senior Advisory Board - Work PlanWork Plan City of Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board (SAB) 2024 Work Plan Summary Statement: Consistent with our Mission and the City of Fort Collins’ Strategic Budgeting for Outcomes, the Senior Advisory Board serves as advisors to the Fort Collins City Council on programs and policies that help older residents live full and interesting lives, continuing to contribute and participate in our vibrant community. Primary Functions of the Senior Advisory Board: Sharing a concern for aging members of our community, the Board assumes responsibility for involvement in a network of senior agencies and organizations to remain aware of issues, needs, and occurrences that are relevant to older/aging adults: • Larimer County Office on Aging Advisory Council • Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities in Larimer County (PAFC) • Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging at CSU • Various City Boards and Commissions and other relevant organizations pursuing similar goals with focus on neighborhood livability issues including but not limited to affordable housing, transportation access and mobility, and safety. Our priorities are to provide education to this community about the aging process, to inform and be informed, to advocate for a good quality of life and to encourage networking among the various groups that deal with senior issues. We participate in important community events throughout the year. We communicate information describing the needs and challenges of our older population and highlight the value and benefits of older people to our community. Work Areas for 2024 Prioritization 1. Neighborhood Livability and Social Health a. Education: We will learn and engage in discussion to help the Council work towards solutions for the senior community housing need by periodically attending the Affordable Housing Board’s and the PAFC’s Housing Priority Group’s meetings, as appropriate. We will also remain open and receptive to the general voice of older people in the community and their thoughts and opinions on local housing needs. We will actively seek out speakers from various industries, non- profits, health, and lifestyle advocates and others to give us a broad perspective in this and other areas regarding older people. b. Advocacy: We will work on ways to educate all members about the housing needs of seniors. We will share with Council our deliberations regarding improvement to senior housing options. c. Outreach: We will share, as appropriate, with the Affordable Housing Board and other organizations what we know and have learned regarding the housing needs of seniors. 2. Transportation a. Education: We will learn and engage in discussion to help the Council work towards solutions for the senior community’s transportation needs by periodically attending Transportation Board meetings as well as those of PAFC’s Transportation Priority Group. We will also remain open and receptive to the general voice of seniors in the community and to their thoughts and opinions on local transportation needs, as appropriate. b. Advocacy: We will share our concerns and thoughts with the City Council about ways the City can improve transportation for seniors and ways the City has made great strides in providing seniors with reliable transportation. c. Outreach: We will compile and disseminate what we have learned about the senior community’s transportation needs and we will share that, as appropriate, with the Transportation Board and other Boards and relevant entities. 3. Safety a. Education: We will learn and engage in discussion to help the Council work towards solutions for key safety issues that Fort Collins older adults encounter. We will remain an open and receptive group where the community can voice their concerns and encourage citizen attendance of our meetings. b. Advocacy: We will voice safety concerns with City Council and suggest areas for improvement based on our deliberations. c. Outreach: We will share potential safety issues with the community and, when necessary, we will request that the City make major safety issues known to our older population. Examples may include air quality, water availability, emergency plans in place for seniors, etc. 4. Timely Information to Assist Council Senior Board Members will provide timely information, as appropriate, to City Council regarding upcoming agenda items for Council meetings per Council request and our observance of important items approaching deliberations that may involve the older population. It is important that older adults are considered in decisions made by Council regarding the community. The ‘norms’ for the older generation are changing (as family dynamics change): as older adults become an increasingly greater segment of the workforce, as retirement years last longer, as older people contribute to the City’s economy and in the coming years will represent upwards of 20% of Colorado’s population. The SAB recognizes the importance of our work and we will inform Council so that the City of Fort Collins remains a healthy, vibrant community for people of all ages, with active members from the entire population.