CITY OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS
Kimberley
Driscoll
Mayor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2016
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Dominick Pangallo
Chief of Staff
Salem Seeks Public
Comment on Draft Salem for All Ages Action Plan
Draft plan posted online for public
review and feedback. Comments must be submitted by November 1.
SALEM, MA – As the City prepares to
finalize its Salem for All Ages Action Plan for submission to the World
Health Organization (WHO) later this year, it has now posted the draft plan on
its website for public review and feedback. The draft plan can be found at www.salem.com and is available in hard copy for
public review at the Salem Public Library (370 Essex Street), the Salem Council
on Aging (5 Broad Street), and the Mayor’s Office at Salem City Hall (93
Washington Street). Public comments must be submitted by November 1 and
should be directed to:
Caitlin E. Coyle, PhD
Research Fellow, Center for Social & Demographic Research in Aging
Gerontology Institute
John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125
Salem’s Age Friendly initiative began
earlier in 2016 when the City was added to the AARP’s national network of Age
Friendly communities. Salem became the first City on the North Shore to join
the network and only the third in Commonwealth. Acceptance to the network meant
the City committed to developing an action plan that focuses on establishing a
vision for each of what the AARP and WHO call the “eight domains” of an
age-friendly community: civic participation and employment, communication and
information, community support and health services, outdoor space and
buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, and respect and
social inclusion.
Within each domain, a vision statement
for the future of an Age-Friendly Salem is described, followed by a series of
recommendations, and corresponding specific action steps that should be taken.
Following approval of the final report a permanent community stakeholders group
will be formed to monitor implementation of the plan, evaluate its effectiveness,
and update it as necessary.
“In Salem we are thoughtful about how we approach the
future,” Mayor Kim Driscoll observes in her letter submitting the action plan.
“Great cities do not happen by accident. They take careful planning, public
input, and meaningful action. I am so pleased to present the Salem for All
Ages Action Plan because I believe it meets all those standards. And
because I believe it will truly make Salem an even greater City for all.”
To help prepare the Salem for All
Ages Action Plan, the City worked closely with experts from the Center for
Social & Demographic Research on Aging at the Gerontology Institute of the
University of Massachusetts Boston. Those experts worked closely with a working
group made up of City officials and local volunteers, to develop the draft
plan. Their efforts included multiple public listening session and meetings,
three focus groups, an exhaustive document review of existing plans and
reports, and a community survey completed by over 400 Salem residents over the
age of 50.
“The priorities represented by the Age-Friendly designation
are reflective of Salem’s values as a whole,” said Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll.
“The goals of a livable, safe, and vibrant city serve to lift up all our
residents, no matter their age or ability. This action plan has been informed
by as many perspectives as possible, so that the recommendations it puts forth
for Salem can be as diverse and as forward-looking as the people who live here.
I encourage all Salem residents, whether they are seniors or not, to review the
draft and offer their feedback to help make it even more reflective of our
community.”
