Attention Cities: Make Caring for Aging Parents a Community Mission

If you substitute the aging of America for hurricane Katrina and substitute every city in the country with New Orleans you will have an idea of what the aging of America is going to do to the political, financial, and municipal structure of cities and towns as we go forward.  Just as with the Katrina situation any help from the states and federal government is going to come too late, in the wrong form, with unnecessary delays and burdensome costs.   No help is coming and the sooner you realize that the sooner you can transform a situation from one that isn't working to one that is.

Here's how to do this in your town or city:

1. CELEBRATE NATIONAL PARENT CARE DAY-  Build both a public and private awareness of the aging population inside your city by celebrating National Parent Care Day.  We have created NPCD on May 22nd as a focal point for cities to establish learning opportunities, exhibit new capabilities around care and support for the aging, as well as bring new awareness to how the aging population inside a community affects its future.

2.BUILD A COALITION OF CARE- Every community has Commissions on Aging, Specific Disease Organizations like Alzheimers and Parkinsons, Elder Law Attorneys, Home Care Companion Services, and Medical Equipment Suppliers.  Stop competing with each other and start collaborating because collaboration is the new competitive strategy.  Establish  the Parent Care Coalition and develop initiatives to help provide care and support for seniors inside the community. If you don't know how, call us or e-mail us.  We've through this and about this at The Parent Care Solution..

3. CHANGE ZONING TO ACCOMODATE NEW HOUSING- Seniors are going to go where they have access to community, conversation, and connection around all the issues of care, friendship, support, and lifestyle that they need.  Take a look at your current zoning to see if you can create different types of communities of high density close to health, transportation, and care services.  Convert old strip centers, brownfields, warehouse districts, and other out of use properties to senior communities.

4. CREATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH COLLEGES- Community Colleges and Universities near your city should be sponsoring Parent Care Courses that teach citizens about the challenges and opportunties  that are present within your community.  Get the institutions of higher learning to create courses that inform and educate your citizens about their options within your community.  Distribute them on line, in seminars, through service groups and the school systems.

5. CREATE A PARENT CARE FOUNDATION- You should create a Parent Care Donor Advised Fund within the community foundation to provide education, support, and other resources to the citizens who cannot afford these things on their own.  Individuals, corporations, and religious organizations should conduct fund raising to benefit the entire community in this area.