Age Friendly Domains
Introduction
Building on the foundation established by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Task Force adopted the eight Domains of Livability to address and provide structure for planning and implementing age friendly improvements in the City. The findings from the Community Survey, and the common themes that emerged from the stakeholder meetings and the individual interviews with officials and community leaders, established the baseline and gave guidance for the development of this Age Friendly Sausalito Community Action Plan. The Age Friendly Sausalito Task Force identified significant strategies and outputs, expected outcomes, and who the primary participants would need to be for each WHO domain. In addition, each domain is described in terms of why it is important and how Age Friendly Sausalito and its partners will implement the activities to achieve the needed change and improvements.
Strategy #1: Advocate safe walkways throughout the City on sidewalks, crosswalks and stairways
Strategy #2: Advocate age friendly parks that include designs and equipment that support safe, healthy activity and promote fitness for all our residents
Domain 1: OUTDOOR SPACES AND BUILDINGS
We envision a City in which public spaces and the built environment support the safety, health, and wellness of our residents.
Why this is important: Sausalito is a small city built vertically to take advantage of the enthralling views of the San Francisco Bay. Its downtown is a busy commercial center for the City’s residents and a beckon call to tourists from around the world to enjoy the ambiance of the waterfront. It is a walking and cycling destination whose streets and sidewalks are crowded, especially on beautiful days. For the safety of residents and visitors alike, the City’s sidewalks, crosswalks and stairways must be safe and accessible for all - pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders, those in wheelchairs, electric carts and strollers. In addition, Sausalito’s seventeen well-used parks must be welcoming, safe and equipped to promote fun, health and fitness for all.
Domain 2: TRANSPORTATION
We envision a City in which older adults have access to the transportation they need.
Why this is important: Sausalito is built on hills with narrow winding streets laid out in the 19th century making it difficult for vans and larger vehicles to navigate the neighborhoods. Older adults who no longer drive, or prefer not to, need a way to attend to errands and appointments as well as continue their social lives and connect to existing public transportation. This transportation gap was the top priority identified by residents who participated in the community assessment survey. In immediate response CARSS (Call A Ride for Sausalito Seniors) was launched in May 2015. CARSS is a City of Sausalito Age Friendly Program that is managed by Sausalito Village. CARSS provides free transportation around town to residents who are 60 and older by vetted and trained volunteer drivers who utilize their own autos. CARSS has been acknowledged nationally and internationally as an innovative, local, and replicable approach to providing transportation for older adults. In addition, Sausalito is committed to working with City, County, and other stakeholders to identify, develop, and implement other transportation gaps throughout the County.
Strategy #1: Expand the existing CARSS Program to be available Monday through Friday four hours/day and for special event
Strategy #2: Identify other transportation needs and opportunities for older adults in Sausalito
Strategy #1: Promote policies and programs that enable older residents to remain in their homes within the community
Strategy #2: Promote development of additional affordable housing options for older adults
Domain 3: HOUSING
We envision a City committed to enhancing housing and living opportunities for older adults.
Why this is important: It is no surprise that 76% of older residents surveyed wish to remain in their own homes in their community as they age. Obstacles they may encounter include a lack of affordable housing, cumbersome and expensive requirements to modify homes for safety and usefulness for older adults and the lack of easily accessed services such as light home maintenance assistance.
Domains 4 & 5: SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, RESPECT, AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
We envision a City in which older adults are encouraged and welcomed to Participate in community activities, treated with respect, and accommodated as needed in public, educational, and commercial settings.
Why this is important: One of the most jarring aspects of aging is the tendency to feel less visible as previously well defined professional and family roles slip away even as new roles begin to emerge. Further, changes in relationships, e.g., becoming widowed or divorced, as well as physical and cognitive status can lead to increased isolation and can have a further negative impact on health status. These trends are more pronounced among low-income seniors, for whom deteriorating physical health can compound existing issues like inadequate housing and limited transportation. The success of existing programs and organizations that engage and encourage Sausalito’s older adults to use their vast array of talent and skills can be enhanced and expanded to inform and involve an even greater number of aging adults.
Strategy #1: Expand and improve access to City programming for older adults
Strategy #2: Collaborate with the local business community to encourage and increase the age-friendliness of local merchants and businesses
Strategy #3: Engage local schools and other community organizations to promote existing and new inter-generational activities
Strategy #1: Identify and/or Develop a repository for information about volunteer and paid opportunities for older adults
Strategy #2: Tap the skills, talents, and experience of Sausalito’s senior population to provide civic and social leadership, create new businesses, and generate an age friendly environment in Sausalito
Domain 6: CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND EMPLOYMENT
We envision a City in which older adults are valued and sought after as participants in civic and social improvement activities and projects
Why this is important: Much like the issues of social participation and inclusion, civic participation and employment are areas that can be critical to the financial and psychological well-being of older adults as well as to their sense of purpose, identity, and self-respect. With people living well into their 80s and 90s, many with extraordinary work and volunteer histories as well as “hobbyist” talents, communities can access those vast reservoirs of skill and expertise to improve their landscape of civic opportunity and employment.
Domain 7: COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION
We envision a City in which older adults are more informed about and engaged in community programs, services, activities, and employment and volunteer opportunities.
Why this is important: Communication is critical to keeping City residents informed and engaged. Sausalito is rich in programs, services, activities, and employment and volunteer opportunities, but if communication is not as robust as it needs to be, the result is lack of knowledge and participation, not what AFS is working the achieve. While Sausalito has many existing channels for distributing information, greater use of technology, identifying untapped communication channels, and making access to information clearer and easier can benefit the City’s older adults.
Strategy #1: Maintain consistent, widespread, and centralized distribution of information throughout the City as well as identify other communication and distribution channels
Strategy #2: Maximize the use and impact of technology throughout the City
Strategy #3: Understand and respond to the communication and information needs of hard-to-reach populations and people without digital access.
Strategy: Identify enhancements in current communications channels and community activities that can increase participation in existing emergency preparedness efforts
Domain 8: COMMUNITY SUPPORT, HEALTH SERVICES, AND SAFETY
We envision a City that acknowledges the importance of emergency preparedness and health and safety programs for older residents, and prioritizes and enhances access to community resources, information, and neighborhood- based initiatives
Why this is important: Sausalito’s hill-and-ocean-side location makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, storms, and floods. Extensive emergency preparedness procedures are in place in the City and the County. Information is available on the City website and in publications that are distributed widely. However, we acknowledge the difficulty in getting residents to focus on emergencies before the disaster is at hand. And we can work toward much better compliance with common practices that are extremely beneficial in times of crisis.