News

On September 18, Colorado became the third Age Friendly State in the U.S. This recognition from AARP coincided with the announcement of Lifelong Colorado, an initiative that address the challenges of a growing population of older Coloradans. Governor John Hickenlooper noted “Lifelong Colorado demonstrates our commitment to making the necessary improvements and provide appropriate resources to strengthen families and our communities.” As of 2018, 24 Colorado communities were either in AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly Communities or participating in the “Boomer Bond” Initiative through the Denver Regional Council of Governments.  A major goal of Lifelong Colorado and the Age Friendly designation is to add at least 100 more communities to that list in five years.

Innovations in Aging Collaborative is thrilled to see the expansion of the Age Friendly initiative into the State of Colorado. The commitment by state officials to Age Friendly will improve Colorado and make sure it is a great place for everyone to live in, whether they are 8 or 80.

We are proud that this new initiative will build on the success of the established Age Friendly Cities in Colorado, including Colorado Springs. Mayor John Suthers pointed out, “Colorado Springs has benefited tremendously from our age-friendly initiative. I am excited to help bring the lessons we’ve learned to the rest of Colorado.” Along with using our lessons learned to benefit Lifelong Colorado, Innovations in Aging is also hopeful this momentum will allow us to advance our local efforts.

Intergenerational Month is a global movement celebrating the many benefits of relationships between older adults and younger people.  Innovations in Aging wants to encourage you to participate in intergenerational month by engaging with someone that is a different age than you.  We complied of list of intergenerational opportunities in Colorado Springs,  but we also want to hear from you! If you know of any intergenerational activities in Colorado Springs that we didn’t list, please fill out this short survey.

Intergenerational Opportunities in Colorado Springs

Intergenerational Programming at the Pikes Peak Library District.

• The PPLD offers a wealth of programs that are available to people of all ages. The library categorizes many of their events as intergenerational.  Below is a list of some of those programs:
  • Tabletop games at Penrose
  • Movie Night
  • Monday Musings
    • Click here for a listing of all intergenerational events

Dragon Theatre Productions

• Dragon Theatre Productions is a community-inclusive theatre program of Imagination Celebration in Colorado Springs that creates roles for any actor who can make the performance commitment. This opportunity is open to people of all ages and abilities, which helps in building community and celebrating diversity.

Big Brothers Big Sisters

• Big Brothers Big Sisters pair volunteers (Bigs) with children (Littles) in a variety of different mentoring programs including community-based, academic, and sports-centric programming to pair the talents of Bigs with the needs of Littles.

Grand Friends

• District 11 has a program called GrandFriends, where retired people and older adults use with their multiple and valuable skills to serve as talented mentors to students. The students benefit not only from the sharing of these skills but also from the relationships they develop with the GrandFriends.

Kraemer Intergeneration Collection @ UCCS

• The Kraemer Intergeneration Collection consists of books, videos, and other materials related to intergenerational studies and concerns. The Kraemer Intergeneration Collection is integrated into the Main Collection on the 3rd floor of the Kraemer Family Library.

Have you wondered how you can stay informed and get involved in local Age Friendly activities?

Innovations in Aging Collaborative recently compiled a list of activities that will help you learn more about the Age Friendly initiative, and the list offers suggestions on actions you can take to make Colorado Springs a great place to live, regardless of age.

• Learn more about Livable Communities across the country at aarp.org/livable
• Shift the “Us vs. Them” mindset to an understanding that we are all growing older
  • Visit Changing the Narrative Colorado to learn more about the impact of our language
• Support universal design in parks and homes
• Volunteer with one of our Age Friendly non-profit partners (a list can be found here)
• Support accessible and multi-modal transportation
• Participate in Older Americans Month in May
• Participate in Intergenerational Month in September by engaging with someone in a different stage of life than you

Finally, to stay up to date with latest news from Innovations in Aging Collaborative by following us on Facebook (and Age Friendly Colorado Springs on Facebook), and signing up for our newsletter.

 

In June 2018, the Colorado Springs City government released a full draft of Plan COS to allow for public review and comment.  Innovations in Aging Collaborative is very thankful for the tireless effort put into the plan by staff, representatives, and community members.

In order to ensure that the goals of Age Friendly Colorado Springs were included Plan COS, staff did a thorough evaluation of the Plan COS draft.  Staff and Board members also attended the Plan COS Open Houses to ensure that older adults were included in the conversation.  Finally, we submitted a formal memo to the planning commission that highlighted the parts of the plan which advance Age Friendly and suggested some inclusions to the plan.  A summary of our Plan COS review is below:

Sections of Plan COS that we believe will directly advance the Age Friendly Colorado Springs Plan:

• Vibrant Neighborhoods
  • Recognition of our senior population as a key trend and assumption
  • Code updates to allow for Accessory Dwelling Units
• Unique Places
  • Inclusion of ADA accessibility in the Neighborhood and Community Activity sections
• Strong Connections
  • Inclusion of ADA accessibility in the Urban Core section
  • Policy 1B, which focuses on the senior population
• Majestic Landscapes
  • Universal design as a desired element

Beyond advocating for some sections within Plan COS, IIAC also requested for some other pieces to be added.  These suggestions included: 

•  Adding Age Friendly Colorado Springs Plan as an appendix to Plan COS
• Including Silver Key Senior Services as a community asset in the Renowned Culture chapter
• Using Universal Design as a strategy to achieve diversity of housing types in the Vibrant Neighborhoods chapter

The deadline for public comment is August 6, and we encourage you to review Plan COS and make sure your voice is heard by submitting your comments online. 

Have you ever wondered what you could do to make Colorado Springs more Age Friendly?

By looking at Innovations in Aging’s website and by following us on Facebook, you can stay up to date with all the latest Age Friendly news and events in Colorado Springs.  Beyond all of these actions, you can make Colorado Springs a better place to age by reading books that expand knowledge about aging and seek to end stigma associated with getting older.

Below is a list of some of our favorite books.  We encourage you to consider one of these books as your next read, and we hope you share the list with your friends.

This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism 

By: Ashton Applewhite

People are happiest at the beginnings and the ends of their lives. The vast majority of Americans over 65 live independently. The older people get, the less afraid they are of dying. Aging is a natural, lifelong, powerful process. So how come so many of us unthinkingly assume that depression, diapers, and dementia lie ahead? That the 20th century’s astonishing leap in life expectancy is a disaster-in-the making? Underlying all the hand-wringing is ageism: discrimination that sidelines and silences older people.

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

By: Atul Gawande

Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.

Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Gawande reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced.

The Upside of Aging

By: Paul H. Irving 

An aging revolution is changing the world, a titanic shift that will alter every aspect of human existence. The Upside of Aging moves beyond the stereotypes of dependency and decline to look at aging in a new way.

The chapter authors, all prominent thought leaders, reveal the remarkable upside for health, work and entrepreneurship, volunteerism, innovation, and education, as longevity and declining birth rates create a mature population of unprecedented size and significance.

Life Gets Better: The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Older

By: Wendy Lustbader 

From our earliest lives, we are told that our youth will be the best time of our lives-that the energy and vitality of youth are the most important qualities a person can possess, and that everything that comes after will be a sad decline. But in reality, says Wendy Lustbader, youth is not the golden era it is often made out to be. For many, it is a time riddled with anxiety, angst, confusion, and the torture of uncertainty. Conversely, the media often feeds us a vision of growing older as a journey of defeat and diminishment. They are dead wrong. As Lustbader counters, “Life gets better as we get older, on all levels except the physical.”

Agewise: Fighting the New Ageism in America

By: Margaret Morganroth Gullette

In Agewise, renowned cultural critic Margaret Morganroth Gullette reveals that much of what we dread about aging is actually the result of ageism—which we can, and should, battle as strongly as we do racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry. Drawing on provocative and under-reported evidence from biomedicine, literature, economics, and personal stories, Gullette probes the ageism that drives discontent with our bodies, our selves, and our accomplishments—and makes us easy prey for marketers who want to sell us an illusory vision of youthful perfection.

 

Do you have any Age Friendly reading suggestions? We would love to hear from you.

 

We fully support safe, accessible biking.

Innovations in Aging Collaborative (IIAC) is supportive of transportation options that allow everyone, regardless of age or ability, to get where they need and want to go. The Colorado Springs Bike Master Plan is a thoughtful, community-minded approach to making part of this vision a reality.

Transportation options that do not depend on car ownership allow for equitable access to goods and services (think the grocery store, doctor’s appointments, etc.) and decreases the risk of isolation for people without driver’s licenses or the means to own a car. It is a serious problem that seniors who do not have access to a car may choose to not exercise or participate in social activities, which are important parts of living a well-rounded life. Biking that is safe and accessible is a great alternative option! At IIAC we are particularly concerned about seniors and access to transportation, but in the process of designing biking facilities for part of the most vulnerable, risk-averse population, this master plan addresses all citizens’ biking infrastructure needs.

Let’s make it easier for people to live healthier, connected lives.

We believe that this plan has the long-term vision and short-term action plans to effectively produce changes that will increase health outcomes and social connectedness. With this plan, Colorado Springs has the chance to strongly affect how citizens interact with their environment and encourage healthier lifestyles that allow people to feel more connected to one another as well as their community.

Check out the Colorado Springs Bike Master Plan here.

How you can help

On April 10 the Colorado Spring City Council will be voting on whether or not to accept the Colorado Springs Bike Master Plan.

If you can, please attend the City Council meeting to show your support for biking accessible to all ages and abilities.

When: Tuesday, April 10th, 1:00 pm

Where: Council Chambers, 3rd floor City Hall.

If you cannot attend the City Council meeting in person on April 10th, you still can help by sending an email to your City Council representative in advance of April 10th requesting that they vote in favor of the Bike Master Plan. Here is a list of Colorado Springs City Council members with their email addresses.