Sarasota Herald-Tribune on Age-Friendly Health Systems
The Herald-Tribune article, "Age-Friendly Sarasota mixes generations, music and education," highlights the first-ever Age-Friendly Festival in Sarasota.
Launched by the World Health Organization, the age-friendly city movement was taken up in 2012 by AARP to acknowledge and adapt to two powerful global trends, longevity and urbanization. And in May 2015, Sarasota County became the first place in Florida to apply for age-friendly status, a distinction now shared by 500 communities worldwide. In June a 77-page Action Plan - a three-year road map for boosting Sarasota County’s resources and opportunities in such areas as transportation, housing and social interaction - called on every sector of the community to “do more” and “continue to innovate.”
As the article details, "Some other issues that are a focus for Age-Friendly Sarasota:
• Dementia-friendly communities: The Dementia Care and Cure Initiative, sponsored by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, is designed to help communities become more responsive and supportive for people with cognitive issues, along with their families and caregivers.
• Age-friendly health systems: The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement launched a national partnership with the goal of introducing a care model designed for older patients to 20 percent of U.S. health care systems by 2020. Kathy Black [a professor at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee who is advising Age-Friendly Sarasota] hopes to spark a conversation among local providers about the initiative."
To read the article, click here.