Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Evidence of our aging population is apparent in Berkshire County, where nearly half the residents are retired or close to it, and 60 percent of the population is projected to be over the age of 50 by 2030.
With this in mind, the Age-Friendly Berkshires Vision 2020 Initiative was created to work with local councils on aging, other agencies and community members to identify areas for improvement across the county and to help the 32 cities and towns address them at a municipal level.
The initiative began to take shape in 2014, and by June 2015, Age-Friendly Berkshires was accepted into the AARP World Health Organization’s Global Age-Friendly Cities and Communities network. The initiative also received a grant from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation that supported the hiring of a program manager.
“Life does not end when you turn 50, let alone 90,” said Celeste Roeller Harp, the program manager. She said the region needs “cross-sector collaboration planning” to properly serve the aging population.
Harp is focused on reaching all the councils on aging and boards of health in Berkshire County, connecting with “the boots on the ground” in municipalities to prompt conversations.
In an area that is home to cities as well as small, rural communities, Bobbi Orsi, director of community relations for Age-Friendly Berkshires and chair of the Pittsfield Board of Health, said the initiative faces a big task in bringing all 32 municipalities together without the assistance of a regional government body.
Described as a county effort that will be implemented on a municipal basis, the initiative encourages communities to look at their demographics and current programming to find areas for improvement.
An “age-friendly” survey of Berkshire County residents over the age of 50, launched last year, received more than 2,400 responses and identified “eight domains of livability” that are important to the quality of life for older adults. These include transportation needs, housing, built environment, health care, public safety, and social programming.
“Municipalities are where the conversation begins and where it ends,” Harp said.
Being age-friendly means building communities that are accessible and provide beneficial services to all generations.
“Since 2011, over-60s have surpassed the under-18s,” said Pittsfield Council on Aging Director Vincent Marinaro. “How do we make a community that is age-friendly for everyone?”
Addressing the needs of younger residents, such as education, is always a priority, but cities and towns need to find balance, Marinaro said.
“Municipalities realizing what is come down the road is critical,” he said. “Budgeting needs to be addressed now.”
A number of the larger Berkshire communities have connected with the initiative and are taking steps to become age-friendly communities by evaluating the needs of their residents and their current services.
Pittsfield passed an age-friendly resolution last year, and North Adams is exploring a similar path. Any resolutions passed by a city or town would be written in collaboration with members of the community. Municipalities would have ownership and implementation responsibility over any age-friendly resolutions.
“The city of Pittsfield is committed to ensuring a robust quality of life for all ages,” said Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer. “Achieving this means understanding that different groups within our city have different needs. For those among our aging population, we want to make sure they have the necessary resources in place to live a full and healthy life.”
The age-friendly initiative meets monthly, hosts forums with seniors, and is sponsoring county-wide events, including a stop on Dr. Bill Thomas’ Age of Disruption Tour and a council on aging breakfast with Elder Affairs Secretary Alice Bonner. Harp and Orsi said the response from Berkshire communities has been positive.
“We’re using every avenue that we can right now to reach everyone and show the value in an age-friendly community,” said Orsi. “It’s a work in progress.”