A very important step in the implementation of our Age-friendly Austin Plan is coming up this Thursday, October 6. The Austin City Council, at its regular weekly meeting, will vote on adding an age-friendly amendment to the Imagine Austin Plan. Their approval of this amendment will allow AustinUP and our community partners to work with City of...
SXSW Interactive 2016 provided many opportunities to learn about medical and technology innovation related to aging. It was an adventure that left us feeling hopeful about the future of aging.
Panels and presenters discussed:
The World Health Organization describes an age-friendly community as one in which “policies, services and structures related to the physical and social environment are designed to support and enable older people to live in security, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in society.” From housing to healthcare to communication, the community design model...
In September 2015, Austin’s Commission on Seniors formed a working group comprised of members of the Commission, AARP, AustinUP as well as local and regional service organizations, to bring to fruition recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Aging, including the development of an Action Plan to transform Austin into an Age-friendly City. This working group has met weekly to outline a five-year plan, and identify goals and strategies. Before we move forward with the next phase – communication with City leaders – we would like to hear feedback from the community about the plan and the goals we have identified. This is your opportunity to tell us what you like – and what we missed. Working with AARP, we have scheduled three free community events in April and May. (See dates below.) We hope that you can join us at one of these sessions to add your voice to this process.
AustinUP hosted a focus group on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at Wildflower Terrace in the Mueller neighborhood. We welcomed 34 participants. Mary Anne Connolly, principal at MACMedia and founder of @changehoweage Twitter and Facebook feeds, facilitated a 90-minute discussion about the aspects, features, people, etc. that make a neighborhood age-friendly. We looked at neighborhoods using the 8...
Five years ago, in 2011, the first wave of the oldest U.S. baby boomers reached the common retirement age of 65. Since then, another 10,000 each day continue to reach this stage in their lives. The U.S. Census Bureau calculates that by 2020, 55.9 million people in the U.S. will be age 65 or older, and by...
We are excited to introduce the newest member of the AustinUP Board of Directors. Dr. Mark Carlson is a fellowship-trained, board-certified geriatrician, internist and oncologist with 30 years of healthcare experience. He is the Founder and Director of Be Well MD, an innovative medical practice designed specifically for seniors. So that patients can receive their health...
This article from the Marketing Research Association is an eye-opener. Did you know that...
AustinUP is proud to welcome Char Hu to our board. Char received his doctorate in molecular biophysics from Baylor College of Medicine where he studied protein folding, one of the proposed underlying mechanisms for Alzheimer's disease. While in graduate school, his grandmother was diagnosed with dementia and required the care of a long-term care facility....
Since its inception in 1994, The Mitte Foundation has invested in organizations and programs that improve the quality of life of those within the city of Austin and the Central Texas area. We are proud to announce that The Mitte Foundation has joined AustinUP as a Leadership Member, and we are grateful for their participation. For...