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Print This Story'Successful Aging' To Help People Get Ready For Retirement
Mission Is To Improve Life For Clevelanders
UPDATED: 10:03 a.m. EST January 7, 2003
CLEVELAND -- Did you know by the year 2020, one in every five Americans will be 65 or older?
It's a situation many communities will have to face, NewsChannel5 reported.
The second largest charitable institution in the nation, The Cleveland Foundation is launching a dynamic campaign to promote community-wide awareness of needed changes, and NewsChannel5 is lending a helping hand with the "Successful Aging Initiative."
"I didn't think about retiring when I was younger. Then when you get older I think you worry about it every day on what are you going to do and how are you going to do it," Joan Butler said. "I haven't saved any money so I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll probably be working until I die."
Butler, 54, said that the future doesn't look certain. However, the people at the Cleveland Foundation are hoping to change that outlook for Clevelanders.
"Our mission is to try and improve the quality of life for all the residents of Cleveland," said Steven A. Minter, president of The Cleveland Foundation. "We have a number of elderly residents and we also have a number of funds that have been established at the foundation by donors over the years since 1914 who wanted to help this kind of population."
So work began to set up a task force of community professionals. And it was discovered through research that there are many areas on which a community can focus to appeal to its elder population.
"We need to appeal to their need for education. We need to appeal to their need to volunteer and give of themselves a community that would have all of these resources," said Dr. May Wykle, Case Western University.
Lifelong learning, social activities, work and volunteer opportunities all help to create an elder-friendly community. The individuals with the "Successful Aging Initiative" said it's possible for communities and individuals to take action.
For more information on the "Successful Aging Initiative" or available resources, write to NewsChannel5, 3001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44115 or log onto our special section on aging.
The second largest charitable institution in the nation, The Cleveland Foundation is launching a dynamic campaign to promote community-wide awareness of needed changes, and NewsChannel5 is lending a helping hand with the "Successful Aging Initiative."
"I didn't think about retiring when I was younger. Then when you get older I think you worry about it every day on what are you going to do and how are you going to do it," Joan Butler said. "I haven't saved any money so I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll probably be working until I die."
Butler, 54, said that the future doesn't look certain. However, the people at the Cleveland Foundation are hoping to change that outlook for Clevelanders.
"Our mission is to try and improve the quality of life for all the residents of Cleveland," said Steven A. Minter, president of The Cleveland Foundation. "We have a number of elderly residents and we also have a number of funds that have been established at the foundation by donors over the years since 1914 who wanted to help this kind of population."
So work began to set up a task force of community professionals. And it was discovered through research that there are many areas on which a community can focus to appeal to its elder population.
"We need to appeal to their need for education. We need to appeal to their need to volunteer and give of themselves a community that would have all of these resources," said Dr. May Wykle, Case Western University.
Lifelong learning, social activities, work and volunteer opportunities all help to create an elder-friendly community. The individuals with the "Successful Aging Initiative" said it's possible for communities and individuals to take action.
For more information on the "Successful Aging Initiative" or available resources, write to NewsChannel5, 3001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44115 or log onto our special section on aging.
Copyright 2003 by NewsNet5. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
