Seniors perspectives and issues from the vantage of Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference

Pages in this website on Affordable housing and living, Disabilities, Disabilities-Accessible Sidewalk Cafes, HP Disabilities Business Packet, Healthcare Delivery Issues, and Seniors and Taxes/Tax breaks contain material and links pertinent to seniors' needs and desires. Resources and providers can be found also in our topical Community Resources and Helpline pages.

Meetings
Some groups you should know about.
What's new that it's said we need to know about. From the OWL Summerfest 2009 (blind, snow removal, bicycle safety)
Beyond "senior friendly"- WHO guide to active aging in cities
OWL's senior visits and wants survey.
Staying in your home- nursing home not the only option
Complete Streets

There is a big conference on aging being held in Chicago March 15-18. Rather expensive, but you can get half price by volunteering. For information,
http://www.agingconference.org/AiA10/index.cfm.

Let's Establish a Hyde Park Village. Some background: The "village" concept, is an idea that began in Boston about 8 or 9 years ago as a way to enable seniors to "age in place." The first, Beacon Hill Village, has served as a model for villages that are now mushrooming all over the country and even internationally. Currently there are about 50 established villages in the U.S. and at least another 50 in various stages of development. In our own area, Lincoln Park has an established village and Evanston/North Shore, Lakeview and Streeterville are all in the process of building their own villages. OWL Illinois has purchased the How-to manual from Beacon Hill to help get us started.
The basic idea is a membership community in which one phone number provides members access to whatever services, support, help or advice they may need to continue to function independently and to remain in their own home. But like any community, each village develops its own unique character based on the interests and circumstances of its members. Contact Susan Alitto, 773-752-6587. All are welcome. This group will be meeting 1st Tuesdays- April 6.

The local organizations with which Hyde Park-Kenwood works most closely on seniors issues are:

OWL- Older Women's League. http://www.owlillinois.org/ch_hydepark.html, http://www.owlillinois.org
Co-presidents Judy Roothaan, Ken Schug. Hyde Park Chapter: Alison Hartman (also state liaison) , Judy Roothaan, Lorie Rosenblum. E-mail Alice Brown, alice.brown@ameritech.net

Open to anyone of all ages. Presents programs and advocates on issues of interest to midlife and older women, and advocates for policy changes on the state and national level. Areas of interest: personal & financial security, health and prescription drugs, image of midlife and older women, access to housing and housing alternatives, ending discrimination against women and the elderly including in the workplace, caregiving. Newsletter. More about. OWL is working heavily on elder abuse with ElderFinancial Protection Network.
OWL Illinois Hyde Park is investigating and acting upon all aspects that make Hyde Park a Seniors Friendly Community or detract from the same.

Coalition for Equitable Development. Pat Wilcoxen President. jwilcoxen@ameritech.net. 1525 E. 53rd St. Suite 907, Chicago, IL 60615. http://www.hpkcoalition.org.
Purpose and Mission:

Promoting an Economically and Racially Diverse Community of Hyde Park-Kenwood, CECD seeks to: Convene resident, faith-based communities, civic, educational, and social organizations, and the business community in planning, guiding, and monitoring housing and related activities that will support the maintenance of an economically and racially diverse community of Hyde Park and Kenwood. Has several active committees doing research and interacting with developers.

An outgrowth of Interfaith Open Communities and OWL, it now has many active organizations and faith communities, and many successes in bending housing toward senior friendliness.

Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force. Another coalition, led by Karen Robinson of DARE, HPKCC, OWL, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, and the 4th and 5th Ward offices. It works for respect for the rights of and friendly treatment of persons with disabilities, including from businesses; friendly and accessible interface such as improved intersections, sidewalks, bicyclists, developments, businesses; a more accessible community for all; education of the community about the Americans with Disabilities Act and its implications.
hpkcc@aol.com, hpdisabilities.org.

Others, including the local chapter of AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) are found in our Neighborhood Nonprofit Organizations page.

About OWL:

From the Hyde Park Herald, August 20, 2008. By Kate Hawley

Hyde Park OWL wise to senior issues

Even in Hyde Par, known for zealous civic engagement, the Older Women's League (OWL) stands out. At community meetings on everything from retail development to affordable housing, OWL members are frequently the first to shoot a hand in the air, wondering how senior citizens might be affected.

Judy Roothaan, the organization's co-president, opened the doors of her sprawling Hyde Park house on a recent evening to share what the group's roughly three-dozen members are concerned about.

"We want a walkable community, we want local retail, and we're aware that the way people shop these days, restaurants are the thing that's going to draw people," she said. "We want to promote bicycle riding," she added. Several of our members are regular bike riders. That may surprise you, but it's the truth.

If this agenda seems less than retiring, that's the point. The mission of Hyde Park OWL, a local chapter of a national organization founded in 1980, is to promote the kind of neighborhood where senior citizens and "age in place," remaining active in the homes and communities where they've built their lives.

The Hyde Park chapter, founded in 1989, meets monthly from October to June at the First Unitarian Church, 5650 S. Woodlawn Ave. Members weight in on topics such as "Successful aging in caring communities" and "Our public spaces and places: are you included?"

Roothaan hosts the group's annual "Summer Fest" at her home, to which local notables are invited. This year's event on August 6 was attended by state Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-13), Mae Wilson, chief of staff for Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) an Ted Fetters, campaign manager for state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-25). Roothaan's co-president, Ken Schug, also attended (OWL accepts men as members, Roothaan said.)

The evening yielded local updates and a lively discussion on the merits of tax-increment financing, Roothaan reported. She was still in debate mode a few days later. "How senior-friendly is Hyde Park?" she asked her husband, Clemens Roothaan, the noted scholar of physics, chemistry and computer science, who was sitting in their living room. "I have no complaints," he said...."Would you like more things in the neighborhood, a greater variety of stores? she pressed. He thought for a minute and said, "I would like a big store that has everything in computer ware."

In her view, the neighborhood rates "fairly low" in senior friendliness. "The transportation is not that good, and the array of stores that seniors want isn't that enticing," she said. To remedy that, Roothaan said that OWL's members are investigating the idea of seating for older people in neighborhood shops and banks, and a delivery van hat would serve a coalition of local businesses. "That would reduce car use," she said, noting the group's growing interest in sustainability. That's a concept that might really mobilize people, she said. "You want something that goes beyond retail, that's an ideal for the community.

OWL's survey of senior's visits, wants and needs. October 2008

Asked what business and types of businesses or services they had visited in the neighborhood in the past months, the variety was amazing.

Suggestions for parks: a greenhouse, arts and crafts

For transportation: more buses especially on and to 53rd St., shuttles and trolleys, share-a rides, bus information availability

Parking- 53rd St. was stressed including lighting to read the new meters

Bicycle visibility and keeping off sidewalks were seen as priorities

So were sidewalk and intersection improvements

Desired: retail- clothing, staples, housewares, sidewalk cafes, lower price grocery store, thrift store(s) and or Target were mentioned.

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Owl says- March 2009 (from an online article): Currently, those 65+ make up approximately 13% of the population. As the baby boomers enter this demographic, this number is expected to nearly double, rising to 25%. Furthermore, between now and 2050, the population of Americans 85+ is expected to quadruple. OWL has long been aware of the importance and necessity of high quality health care - now in our efforts towards reform, we want to stress the importance of family practice physicians and geriatricians, which are seemingly becoming extinct over the years.

The issue isn't that there is a shortage of medical students or doctors, it is that the majority of physicians are now specializing their practices which results in too many referrals, and patients bouncing around from one physician to another. Medical costs exponentially multiply, as the most expensive part of a check-up often comes from walking through the door....

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What's new it's said we should know about

Advocates are now looking to replace the "poverty" index with an Economic Equity Index, by demographics and locales -- the numbers on "what it takes to get along" are not looking good, especially for seniors.

OWL says, May 2009:

National statistics show that one in four Americans has a diagnosable mental health disorder in any given year. Front line professionals can be key to assessing the mental health of older adults they come in contact with and making referrals for further assessment and treatment, if necessary. [Mental illness is not a normal part of the aging process, but the two can aggravate each other.]

 

From the Older Women's League Summer Fest 2009

Principal speaker Maurine Schenburger of the City of Chicago pedestrian program described the many services and protections/rights of seeing impaired persons, including those (and other-impaired) with service animals.

She then dealt with the vexing problem of snow removal in sidewalks, crosswalks and curb and to-door access, and the responsibilities of both residents an business owners/operators. She read from printouts of the City ordinance on the same (available from the city) and a doorknob hanger that is also available including through the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce. (The latter, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, OWL, and likely the Disabilities Task Force are gearing up to distribute these, get out the word on calling 311 (which has a code on snow removal) to get snow and clearance where access is blocked on public way, and police removal. A community meeting is also being considered.)

Ms. Schenburger also gave information and led discussion on bicycle safety- for bicyclists and for those they encounter, including on approved safety and warning gear. This is also likely to be a major focus in conjunction with University orientation et al of the named organizations this fall. At the August HPKCC board meeting, all emphasized that the approach has to be comprehensive- safety and thoughtfulness for all using the public way.

Beyond "senior friendly": World Health Organization study on age friendly cities and active aging in cities, 2009

Factors to look at: economic, social, health and social services, physical environment, behavioral, personal

Components: transportation, housing, social, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and engagement, communicagion and information, community support and health services, and outdoor spaces adn buildingss

The key phrase is life-enablement, beyond senior frienly, elder friendly, or barrier friendly. To get there, we have evaluate and ensure:

truly barrier-free buildings and streets

secure neighborhoods

community support and health services

ways to allow people to work or volunteer

Remember that as people age their abilities diminish-- and the range of capacity to live well within any demographic or age group broadens dramatically. Those who stay on the "able" side of the bar need ways to maintain their independence and prevent disability, those more on the "disabled" side need means to rehabilition if possible and stabilization, and above all ensuring dignity and quality of life.

Staying in your home- nursing homes are not the only option- and how people can be helped to or while staying in their own home. Adapted from Streetwise Nov. 19 2008 and expanded by Gary Ossewaarde

These days the latter are mainly for those requiring 24 hour care, and most have in-between assisted care or transitional options.

Who can help you stay at home, and make that a quality experience? Illinois Department of Aging (IDoA) Community Care is one (http://www.state.il.us/aging/1athome/ccp.htm). It's for those over 60 with up to $17,500 assets plus car and or home who need some homemaking care such as with cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, errand and personal care including medication supervision, and of course emergency response. It uses a Determination of Need scale (same as for disabled and young) with the goal of reducing institutionalization. Provided is up to 20 (normal is 10) hours of help a week. There are rigidities-- 4 hour blocks is not for everyone, and many need help more than once a day or on a weekend. And the rule that caregivers can't touch for many may be impractical (and impersonal) as well as an over reaction to obvious problems. A new law helps alleviate some of these drawbacks.

Several organizations work for improvement on a large scale, such as Jane Addams Senior Caucus. This group also helps landlords with seniors under the program take advantage of incentives to lower real estate taxes-as much as half. JASC also conducted petition drives for affordable housing and Section 8 preservation. Some organizations (including SOAR on the Near North) provide seniors with lists of stores and services (i.e. pharmacies, hardware, grocers) that deliver, and put these lists on their website- and does it ever get hits! and distributed to buildings .

There are now many "supportive" and "assisted living" homes in the city that are highly praised. Commercial providers include Partners in Senior Care. See in Helpline-Health, also Seniors.

On the less intensive side of "home living" is "NORC's"- Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities where people are aging in place in one or several buildings- about half are over 60 and but the buildings have not been "adapted" (Isn't this a definition of a lot of housing in Hyde Park?)-- Such a housing stock can be godsend or the next coming "big problem." Adapting them if needed might be expensive even if subsidized, thus reducing affordability. But many may be at just the right balance. It might be a good idea to identify and evaluate these in the community and let the people who might like such housing and are in reasonable shape know of those buildings that are in ideal balance between condition and attractiveness, affordability, and accessibility (including to shopping and transportation). Perhaps owners might be helped to find best practices to keep the buildings that way. A key barrier to seniors use of such housing may be height, the so-called "elevator threshold" plus costs of height such as facade, life-safety, and elevator mandates.

Beacon Hill (http://www.beaconhillvillage.org) is a membership (dues $500 to $800 a year) organization/club with ideas and initiatives that partner with agencies and businesses for discounted rates and services andother senior care. This includes escort or driving services to the doctor, store etc., deliveries, even handy- or trades persons. The sky seems to be limits, and some places are already providing these services to the less affluent under pilot programs, according to the boomer-senior research institute Civic Ventures. Some such might help increase the attractiveness and viability of the NORC's. Chicago associates are investigating a facility in or near Hyde Park.

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Complete Streets. Of interest to OWL and many others

Complete Street: The regional planning agency's Soles and Spokes division sent out notice of the following City of Chicago notification of policy on total accommodation on the public way:

The City of Chicago released a landmark Complete Streets Policy Oct. 10, mandating for the first time that all transportation users must be accommodated in all transportation projects. According to a multi-agency document issued by the city, the policy is expected to be implemented in a variety of ways advocated by Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and its Healthy Streets Campaign. The policy calls for pedestrian improvements like bulb-out curb extensions for crosswalks, countdown crossing signals, median refuges, and re-timing signals to minimize pedestrian delay and conflicts. To read more, visit
www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=1024_0_16_0_C. And visit the AARP website.

Note that while the Task Force plans to address problems of bikes on sidewalks, rushing turns or through at intersections and without safety and warning gear, bike groups seem more interested in their interactions with cars and seek more bike trails along streets. See in Bike and City Bike Plan page.

From the mayor's Pedestrian Advisory Council presentation April 23, 2009. (T.Y. Lin, CDOT)

What: Designed, operated, maintained so they are safe, comfortable and convenient for all users- pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists of all ages and abilities. Too many streets are built without the minimum accommodations, signing, or striping. Americans want to walk and bike more--55% prefer; 33% don't drive. 30% don't own a car; 21% are over 65; there are the children and Americans who cannot afford autos or choose not to have them. Yet many streets are not complete: sidewalks and crosswalks are nonexistent, out of code or in disrepair, streets uninviting to bicyclists, difficult to t cross on foot, or even inaccessible, have construction zones that don't take into account pedestrian challenges.

Policies. Design, operate and maintain the entire right of way to ensure safety and accessibility for all users.
"The safety and convenience of all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motor vehicle drivers, shall be accommodated and balanced in all types of transportation and development projects and through all phases of a project, so that even the most vulnerable - children, elderly, and persons with disabilities - can travel safety within the public right-of-way."

Why a policy? To update practices, integrating the needs of all street users into all phases of a project. To ensure every project becomes an opportunity to help create a complete street; to bring an overarching vision and consistency to disparate departmental approaches; To improve departmental efficiency and streamlining. Scope of Work:
Input from a steering committee (CDOT divisions, OEMC Operations, Community Development, Zoning and Land Use).
Interviews with key stakeholders (CTA, MOPD, D of Envir, Mayor's Bicycle Advisory, CMAP, Police, IDOT bureaus).
Prepare Preliminary Report of practices and recommendations on improving city processes, design manuals, education and training:
Prepare Final Implementation Process Report (issue-obstacles-opportunities, incorporate feedback and project audits, a checklist to be use in all projects all phases, recommend changes to standards-policies-practices-education.
Conduct audits of recent projects-- were all user's needs accommodated?, review of preliminary planning documents, field visits, field reviews.

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