New Resource Helps Elderly Play Key Role in Creating "A Viable Future"

A new tool kit helps programs integrate the elderly and youth to benefit all ages.

The aging of the U.S. population, sometimes deemed a “crisis,” in fact provides an opportunity to address a host of social issues, according to a new tool kit released by the blue moon fund, a Virginia-based foundation. The resource, “Sustainable Communities for All Ages: A Viable Futures Toolkit,” provides a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to including senior citizens on issues ranging from education and health care to housing, transportation, and the environment—in ways that can benefit entire communities.

“Connecting generations simply makes sense,” says Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, a U.S. group focused on improving the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational strategies, programs, and public policies. “Our cities and towns will benefit from the hands-on activities and inspiring examples this new toolkit offers.” Citing examples of seniors tutoring disadvantaged children, community banks offering special accounts for youth and the elderly, and assisted living developments that engage both staff and residents in decision-making, the tool kit demonstrates the practicality of integrating all age groups to benefit each other.

The tool kit was designed with input from an advisory committee of environmental, aging, youth, planning, and advocacy groups and was produced by the consulting firm JustPartners, Inc. It offers adaptable, specific directions for organizations, policymakers, and even families to reevaluate the interconnections between human, economic, and natural resources. It also suggests creative new ways of approaching looming social security problems, skyrocketing health care costs, and environmental degradation. Fernando Torres-Gil, former assistant secretary on aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has praised the kit as “an invaluable guide in redefining and reshaping the future of an aging society.”

This story was produced by Eye on Earth, a joint project of the Worldwatch Institute and the blue moon fund. View the complete archive of Eye on Earth stories, or contact Staff Writer Alana Herro at aherro [AT] worldwatch [DOT] org with your questions, comments, and story ideas.