Supporting the Mayor's Commission on Aging Strategic Plan for 2013 in order for Philadelphia to become a leading City in being age -friendly.

WHEREAS, On May 9, 2011, a summit entitled “Aging in a New Age” partnered with the Mayor's Commission on Aging, WHYY, PCA, AARP, New Courtland, CVS Pharmacies and the Office of Councilman Jones, took place in Philadelphia to address the opportunities and challenges of the increasing aging population; and

WHEREAS, The “Aging in a New Age” summit examined the great contributions of all generations to harness the talents, wisdom and skills of Philadelphians to make Philadelphia a flagship city for all ages; and

WHEREAS, The summit consisted of four panel discussions titled and held in the order of Generational Game Changers: Opportunities and Challenges, The Greying Economy: The Double Edge Sword, The House the Boomers Built: Housing, Transportation and Technology, and The Good Life in the 4th Quarter: Health, Safety, and Wellness; and

WHEREAS, Generational Game Changers: Opportunities and Challenges agreed that the public sector must do a better job in community outreach and integrating Philadelphians of all ages into the work force; and

WHEREAS, The Greying Economy: The Double Edged Sword proved the benefits of older Philadelphians in the work force, as well as the need to adapt current policies and conditions to meet the needs of older employees; and

WHEREAS, The House the Boomers Built: Housing, Transportation & Technology stressed the importance of keeping elders connected with the community through age friendly housing and appropriate means of technology in order for Seniors to maintain within their homes; and

WHEREAS, The Good Life in the 4th Quarter: Health, Safety, and Wellness stressed the importance of an inclusive healthcare goal for the City be established to assist those of all ages, and to discuss strategies to make neighborhoods and communities more pedestrian friendly, with key determinants for exercise and healthy food for general wellness; and

WHEREAS, The Mayor's Commission on Aging Strategic Plan addresses the Game Changers: Opportunities and Challenges by promoting seamless access to essential support and services through education, outreach and advocacy and seeks to position Philadelphia as a national leader in creating an environment that supports and engages a vital aging population; and

WHEREAS, The Mayor's Commission on Aging Strategic Vision addresses the needs of the House the Boomers Built panel by fulfilling goals to prioritize building an infrastructure to create a more connected aging community, identifying key aging issues and convening stakeholder meetings to find collaborative solutions, and serve as a resource to City departments on issues of aging to provide support in identifying solutions and overcoming obstacles; and

WHEREAS, The Mayor's Commission on Aging aims to support the Greying Economy by increasing departmental capacity to understand and address issues of aging and integrate them into program and planning efforts, work with neighborhood community-based associations and organizations on how to meet the needs of older residents in their neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, A priority for the Mayor's Commission on Aging is to advocate

and address

to agencies and City departments about improvements to transportation, shelters, streets; while aiming to promote services for the Good Life in the 4th Quarter that enable seniors' aging in place; and

WHEREAS, The Mayor's Commission on Aging plans to increase access to benefits for seniors, such as SNAP, PACE, LIHEAP, Medicare and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), in order to promote opportunities for intergenerational collaboration and senior job development, and to seek the World Health Organization designation as an “Age-Friendly City”; now therefore,

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby supports the Mayor's Commission on Aging Strategic Plan for 2013 in order for Philadelphia to become a leading City in being age-friendly.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Lydia Hernandez Velez, Executive Director of the Mayor's Commission on Aging as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

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