City of Berkeley Receives 2019 Innovation Award!
Story by Steve Lustig, Board Member
Age-Friendly Initiatives in Berkeley
Berkeley has several active aging initiatives that take a multi-sector approach to municipal and community planning. These include the City, community-based non-profits, health care, service, and educational sectors to name a few. Ashby Village has been a key partner in launching and coordinating these initiatives and is the fiscal sponsor for the supporting grant funding. Additional funding comes from Kaiser Community Benefits, Alta Bates/Summit (Sutter) Medical Center, the Gerbode Foundation, and the Pilgrimage Foundation. Reports are available at
www.agefriendlyberkeley.org and
www.berkeleycontinuum.org.
The aging initiatives in Berkeley are community driven and grew out of conversations in city departments, the county, and among individuals and organizations. Members of Ashby Village participated and worked with partners such as the Center for Independent Living and Lifelong Medical Care (the local safety net provider) to approach the Mayor about more focused planning for the impending demographic shift. This led to one-year planning grants that included community surveys, focus groups, and research into what other cities were doing. Ashby Village coordinated these efforts. Birthed out of this first year was the Berkeley Continuum which coordinates Berkeley’s Age-Friendly Initiatives. One of these projects is the Age Friendly Berkeley Action Plan, now being implemented with a cross-department Steering Committee in the City and a Community Partners Team.
The 2019 Innovation Award
The 2019 focus sought “to identify cities in California that are preparing their communities for the growth of their older adult population, and embracing innovation opportunities.” Specifically, these two organizations wanted to “identify mayors and elected officials of California cities who are preparing their communities for our aging state.”
The award acknowledged several contributions of Berkeley’s approach:
- Enlisting multiple sectors in planning and goal setting
- Promoting pathways for innovative public/private partnerships
- Addressing needs in the built environment such as accessibility and diverse living arrangements
- Promoting person-centered, integrated care to strengthen the independence and health of older adults
- Leveraging what currently exists as well as being open to innovation
Steve Lustig (center) accepts the 2019 Innovation Award from Nora Super (left), Senior Director of the Milken Institute for the Future of Aging, and Dr. Bruce Chernof (right), President and CEO of The SCAN Foundation
Ashby Village's Continued Dedication & Involvement
Why, with all the work required internally to run a village, did Ashby Village become involved? Because part of our mission is to transform the experience of aging for our members. However, that cannot be done in isolation. The opportunity to partner with the City and other organizations to address local conditions and future plans was within our vision of impacting the lives of older adults. It has also increased our visibility and reputation, and brought in additional income as the fiscal sponsor. We are proud of this award and our role in it, and are encouraged to continue down this path.
View full video announcement
here