By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
The Orange County Board of Commissioners got a firsthand look Tuesday night at what can be accomplished when the county and students from UNC collaborate.
At their meeting, the commissioners heard a presentation about the new 2012-17 Master Aging Plan (MAP), which will prepare the county for the continued growth of its senior citizen population, referred to as the “silver tsunami.â€
The plan was created in collaboration with the county’s Department on Aging, Advisory Board on Aging and five students from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, who helped create the plan as part of their capstone class and were using it as their master’s thesis.
“We are experiencing an age wave at the national, state and local level,†Phoebe Goldberg, a master’s student, told the commissioners.
“Older people are living longer, albeit with declining health, and they are needing more care,†she added.
According to the presentation, the population of adults older than 55 in Orange County is equivalent to the county’s under-18 population. Additionally, the over-55 population is expected to double by 2030, Goldberg said.
The MAP provides the county with a comprehensive plan to address quality-of-life and health issues facing many aging Orange County residents.
The plan covers a range of topics, including transportation, health and wellness and housing, while also looking at how to assist aging citizens of all socio-economic classes, cultures and lifestyles from the entire county.
“This is our third time doing the Master Aging Plan and each time it gets a little better,†said Janice Tyler, the director of the county’s Department on Aging.
The Orange County Department on Aging started planning for a MAP in 2003 and helped distinguish Orange County as the first county in North Carolina to create such a plan. In this third version, Tyler emphasized the amount of public input that was included in every step of the process.
“We had a lot of community engagement. We had over 140 volunteers involved in the process,†Tyler said.
Another feature unique to the 2012-17 MAP is that it is based on the N.C. Aging Services Plan, which uses broad goals and objectives that correspond with implementation strategies and performance measurements to ensure the plan is being carried out.
“We are committed to making the MAP a living document and not something that just sits on the shelf,†Tyler said.
At a later meeting, the board will hear a presentation outlining the implementation plan for the MAP.
“I’m excited for our collective next steps because we have the seniors of tomorrow and today counting on us,†said Heather Altman, chair of the Advisory Board on Aging.