Getting NY Communities Ready for the Aging Boom

ALBANY, NY (10/28/2008)(readMedia)-- The first of the baby boomers are on the brink of their senior years, and New York's communities are not ready for them.

The boomers will swell the senior ranks from 3.2 million today to a projected 4.3 million by 2020, creating what may be the most influential demographic change the state has ever seen.

As boomers age, our communities, government agencies, housing and senior services providers and other entities serving older adults will face enormous challenges and questions.

We've got the answers.

AARP, New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (NYAHSA,) the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and the Albany Guardian Society have joined forces to present "Empowering Communities for Successful Aging", Nov. 12-13 at the Saratoga Hilton and Conference Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The conference will bring together state and national experts for 50 workshops on every imaginable facet of aging issues New York communities will face in the next decade:

• Physical: Housing, cohousing, renovation and redevelopment, health, personal safety, accessibility;
• Financial: Affordable housing funding, money management, addressing poverty;
• Emotional: Isolation, loneliness, mental health needs;
• Civic: Tapping the senior resource and providing opportunities;
• Social: Innovative interaction, community involvement.

The conference Web site is www.empoweringnycommunities.org.

You'll find all workshops and presenters listed in the PDF; just let me know whom you'd like to interview, and I'll connect you with the right people.

We're expecting blockbuster attendance, and we're asking you to do an advance piece as well as cover the conference to get this crucial information to every corner of the state.

As always, we have top-notch experts here at NYAHSA, at NYSOFA and AARP who can speak to any of the conference issues with authority. We look forward to working with you.