Curt’s Corner: Aging in a new age

By 2015, The Philadelphia Corporation of Aging estimates, over a third of the population of Philadelphia will be over the age of 55.

We want this statistic to be an advantage for the City. The City has the opportunity to maximize the valuable resource of aging Philadelphians.

Together with the Mayor’s Commission on Aging, I will hold an “Aging in a New Age” Summit on Monday, May 9th from 8:30 a.m. through 4pm.

“Aging in a New Age” will reach out to the appropriate City officials and community leaders to ensure that as a City we take a proactive approach to the rapid growth of our older population, a population with years of experience and strength in its diversity of perspectives and backgrounds.

We do not intend to lose our older community members due the City’s inaccessibility. It is our hope to attract citizens to Philadelphia as a liveable city.

The Summit will address topics such as demographics, legislative issues and policy resources of and for our older population. Furthermore, it will discuss economic, political, and creative opportunities for both the City and its senior members.

“Aging in a New Age” will address the importance of transforming the City of Philadelphia into an accessible environment for all ages.

In celebration of May as “Older American Month,” the Summit is scheduled for May 9, 2011 at the WHYY Auditorium, 150 N. 6th St., between Market and Arch Streets. Much of the Summit will be broadcast to additional remote locations, including the Salvation Army Kroc Center on Wissahickon Avenue in order to enable the participation of a broader group of seniors and community members. The event begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at 2:30pm.

Our keynote speaker is Wilson Goode, Sr., Former mayor, winner of the Purpose Prize, and an active leader in the community, he is an example of the advantages that the community’s senior members offer to the City.

It is time for the City to shift its paradigm of the older population and promote and embrace new models of social and economic engagement that will utilize the vital assets of its senior citizens.