Friday March 29, 2024
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Mayor Greg Fischer announced today that Louisville Metro Government, together with the University of Louisville’s Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging, AARP Kentucky and the Kentucky Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA), have completed an Action Plan for Age-Friendly Louisville, an initiative to create an accessible and inclusive city for people of all ages and abilities.

With the guidance of a community advisory group, eight community meetings, two city-wide surveys, and collaboration with Plan 2040 (Louisville’s recently updated comprehensive plan), the Age-Friendly plan outlines goals and actions for four focus areas: housing, mobility and access, social participation and inclusion, and community support and health services.

The city and its partners will host a kick-off event for the Age Friendly plan at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Jewish Family and Career Center, 2821 Klempner Way.

The planning process began in late 2016 with Louisville’s membership in the AARP Network of Age Friendly Communities, an institutional affiliate of the World Health Organization’s Global Network of Age Friendly Cities & Communicates.

“Membership in the Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities has boosted our efforts to support our growing population of seniors and bring age-friendly practices to the forefront of our community,” the Mayor said. “One of our guiding principles in Louisville is to become an even more compassionate city, and that means ensuring that people of all ages and abilities have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Named “America’s Aging Care Capital” by Forbes magazine, Louisville is a leader in aging and health care innovation, with more than 85,000 professionals working to create the health and aging solutions of tomorrow. The Age-Friendly Louisville plan will help further position the city at the forefront of aging care for a global senior population.

“At the national level, AARP is a leader in promoting Age-Friendly cities. Locally, we will leverage our resources and network to connect the initiative to critical grassroots systems and advocacy channels,” said Tihisha Rawlins, Associate State Director at AARP Kentucky. “We are working to create a statewide conversation where all of Kentucky’s age-friendly communities—Berea, Bowling Green, Lexington, and Louisville—can share ideas and support one another in the process of becoming age-friendly.”

“I look forward to the day when all citizens in Louisville can say their community is age-friendly; that regardless of a person’s age (from early childhood to centenarian), all are able to access and actively participate in their community: the place where they live,” said Barbara Gordon, Director of Social Services at KIPDA.

Dr. Anna Faul, Executive Director of the University of Louisville Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging, said, “The Institute looks forward to leveraging its connections to achieve wide-reaching coordination and collaboration in this effort. Such comprehensive buy-in will be vital to the success of the age-friendly city endeavor: improving the quality of life not only for our older residents but for residents of all ages.”

The plan’s goals and actionable steps include:

  • Increasing the number of home maintenance resources for older adults, to ensure that they can age in place
  • Increasing the number of home builders who have earned the Certified Aging in Place Specialist certification from the National Association of Home Builders
  • Working with TARC to ensure its services are affordable, accessible and understandable to all community members
  • Improving sidewalks, crosswalks and signal crossing times to ensure all citizens can access their communities safely.
  • Increasing the capacity of neighborhood associations, Neighborhood Places, community ministries and other community organizations to promote health resource information.
  • Hiring an Age Friendly Louisville program manager to oversee the activities of the plan.

Louisville’s population currently includes 15% of people over the age of 60 and projections states that percentage could increase to 40% by 2050. The Age Friendly Plan has incorporated goals and strategies to improve the quality of life for people of all ages.

To view the complete Age Friendly plan, please visit https://www.agefriendlylou.com/

Photo: Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Service

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses, community organizations, and residents, hundreds of electric fans have been collected to provide heat relief for seniors and people with disabilities.  A “Fan Fair” giveaway and resource event is scheduled for Saturday, June 16 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Edison Center, 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Louisville, KY 40203.

Fans will be available for seniors 60 and older, as well as for individuals with documented disabilities, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fan Fair qualifications and guidelines are as follows:

  • Person 60 years or older
  • Or documentation verified by a physician of a disability
  • Resident of Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble or Bullitt Counties
  • Proof of address and age
  • ​One fan per household

A Resource Fair will coincide with the fan giveaway event to provide basic health checks and information from local resources. Participating vendors include Aetna, AARP, JenCare, Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency (KIPDA), National Kidney Foundation, Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services, Senior Medicare Patrol and several other Metro Government divisions.

The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Senior Protection will also be educating and distributing prescription drug disposal kits to properly and safely dispose of unwanted or expired prescription drugs in the home.

Staff with Louisville Asset Building Coalition’s VITA (the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program) will provide resources, answer questions and set up appointments for individuals needing assistance with past due and amended tax returns.

Fan Fair is sponsored by KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living and Louisville Metro Office for Aging & Disabled Citizens (OADC).  These organizations joined forces in 2016 to implement a fan drive and for the first annual Fan Fair in response to the numerous calls they received requesting heat relief.

This year’s fan collection will end June 13. Drop-off donations of new box fans can be made Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at one of the following: KIPDA, 11520 Commonwealth Drive (Lou., KY 40299) or WLKY Studio, 1918 Mellwood Ave. (Lou, KY 40206).  Monetary donations are also appreciated to purchase fans and checks can be made payable to KIPDA, Attn:  Fan Fair, mailed to the address above on Commonwealth Drive, and postmarked by June 8.

To date, more than 250 fans have been donated, and more than $3500 in monetary donations have been received to purchase additional fans.  Some of the many donors include:

  • AARP
  • Aetna
  • CareSource
  • JenCare
  • Lowe’s
  • WLKY
  • Numerous individual donors
  • Local churches

WLKY served as the media partner providing both on-air and on-line advertising to promote the fan collection and serving as one of the donation drop-off sites.  Lowe’s provided multiple levels of support including donating more than 200 fans and allowing the purchase of additional fans at cost from the monetary donations that were collected.

“The amazing generosity we’ve received again this year is evidence of the compassion and desire to take care of one’s neighbor that exists in the Louisville community,” stated Sarah Teeters, Coordinator for OADC, part of the Office of Resilience and Community Services. “We hope to offer Fan Fair every summer as long as the need and the interest continue.”

“The increased support from the business community this year has been astonishing! It shows just how much dedication our city’s professionals have towards increasing the overall health of our community,” stated Jennifer Craig, Aging and Disability Resource Specialist for KIPDA.

For more information about the Fan Fair event, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services  or  www.KIPDA.org.

Photo: Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Service

With the arrival of warmer temperatures, KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living is once again teaming up with Louisville Metro Office for Aging & Disabled Citizens (OADC) to collect electric fans for seniors and persons with physical disabilities.  The fans will be distributed to qualified individuals within the KIPDA region including Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Shelby, Oldham, Spencer, and Trimble Counties. Donations of new box fans will be collected through June 11 at:

KIPDA, 11520 Commonwealth Drive (Lou., KY 40299)
WLKY Studio, 1918 Mellwood Ave. (Lou, KY 40206)

Drop off hours are Monday through Friday; 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Monetary donations will also be accepted to purchase fans. Make checks made payable to KIPDA, Attn:  Fan Fair Program and mail to the address on Commonwealth Drive listed above postmarked by June 11.  If you would like to make special arrangements for a donation or need further information, please contact Sarah Teeters (502) 574-5092 at the OADC or Jennifer Craig (502) 266-5571 at KIPDA.

Last year, over 500 fans were distributed to residents in need thanks to fan or monetary donations given by community organizations, churches, businesses, and private citizens.  Local station WLKY TV32 provided both on-air and on-line advertising, in addition to serving as one of the drop-off locations, and will provide similar support to this year’s efforts.

On June 16, a “Fan Fair” will be held from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. at the Edison Center located at 701 W. Ormsby Ave. to distribute the collected fans to seniors 60 and older, as well as to individuals with physical disabilities, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Qualifications to receive a free fan will be:

  • Person 60 years or older
  • OR documentation verified by a physician of a physical disability
  • Must be a resident of Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble or Bullitt Counties
  • Proof of address and age will be required
  • One fan per household

“We are excited to be partnering with Louisville Metro Office of Aging & Disabled Citizens again this year, helping older adults and persons with disabilities stay comfortable during the summer months, stated Barbara Gordon, director of the KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living.  “I am proud of all of the community partners who support this effort and help to make it happen.“

Coinciding with the Fan Fair will be a health/resource fair open to all ages to provide various health checks and information from local area resources. Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness and LMPD will be on hand to facilitate a prescription drug toss so that attendees can properly and safely dispose of unwanted or expired prescription medications.

“Our annual fan drive and fan giveaway event goes beyond just fans; it provides another avenue for our teams to connect with some of our most vulnerable residents”,  stated Gena Redmon Harris, director of Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services which oversees the OADC.  “We are so grateful for all of the fan and monetary donations and various kinds of community support, and are looking forward to another great event this year.”

For more information about the fan donations or Fan Fair, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services or  www.KIPDA.org.

Photo: Department of Resilience and Community Services

Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program invites young people to create handmade Valentine’s Day cards as part of the annual  Love Letters campaign. The cards will then be included in meal deliveries to Meals on Wheels recipients and shared with other senior programs to help lift the spirits of older adults in our community.

Now in its fifth year, Love Letters was introduced through a partnership with DoSomething.org, a global non-profit organization which encourages young people to make a positive change, and Meals on Wheels America.  Because of its enormous popularity — both with youth and seniors — staff members with the Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program remain committed to carrying on this tradition.

“Each year, these handmade cards brighten the lives of hundreds of seniors in our community,” said Faith Aeilts, program manager of Senior Services, a division of Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services.  “We are grateful to the numerous individuals, schools, scout troops and other youth service providers who have contributed cards in previous years and hope we can once again count on an outstanding response.”

“The students at the J. Graham Brown School have participated in this wonderful outreach with Louisville Metro Meals on Wheels for the past few years”, stated Stacey Powell, staff member with the Brown School who champions the Love Letters campaign.  “Our students are wonderful, caring, and compassionate. In the past we have submitted hundreds of beautiful handcrafted cards!  We are excited to participating again and our students are always eager to have their cards delivered.  We hope they bring smiles to the recipients.”

This year’s goal is to deliver at least one card to the more than 400 Meals on Wheels recipients and to also share with the hundreds of participants at one of the 22 congregate meal sites for more active seniors.

To donate cards to the local Meals on Wheels program, feel free to drop off any weekday by Feb. 9 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 701 W. Ormsby Ave. Suite 201.  Contact Tiffany Woodson, Volunteer Coordinator for the Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program at 574-6420 or Tiffany.Woodson@louisvilleky.gov with any questions.

The Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program is funded, in part, under a contract with KIPDA and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Cabinet for Health and Family Services with funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  To learn more about eligibility or how to volunteer, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services/senior-nutrition-program or call 502/574-6325.

Photo: Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Service

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses, community organizations, and residents, hundreds of electric fans have been collected to provide heat relief for seniors and people with disabilities.  A “Fan Fair” giveaway and resource event is scheduled for Saturday, June 24 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Edison Center, 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Louisville, KY 40203.

Fans will be available for seniors 60 and older, as well as for individuals with documented disabilities, on a first-come, first-served basis.  Fan Fair qualifications and guidelines are as follows:

  •  Person 60 years or older
  • OR documentation verified by a physician of a disability
  • Resident of Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble or Bullitt counties
  • Proof of address and age
  • ​ One fan per household

A Resource Fair will coincide with the fan giveaway event to provide basic health checks and information from local resources. Participating vendors include AARP, Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency (KIPDA), U of L School of Dentistry, the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services and several other Metro Government divisions including the Center for Health Equity and Economic Development.   Louisville pure tap® water will also be provided.

Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness and LMPD will also facilitate a ‘Take Back Event’ to properly and safely dispose of unwanted or expired prescription drugs.

Fan Fair is sponsored by KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living and Louisville Metro Office for Aging & Disabled Citizens (OADC).  These organizations joined forces last year to implement a fan drive and for the first annual Fan Fair in response to the numerous calls they received requesting heat relief.

This year’s fan drive ended June 16 with more than 450 fans being donated, and more than $500 in monetary donations received to purchase additional fans.  Some of the many donors include:

  • AARP
  • CareSource
  • Humana
  • JenCare
  • LG&E
  • Lowe’s
  • Senior Home Transitions
  • 310 Tempering
  • WLKY
  • Numerous Individual Donors
  • Local churches

WLKY served as the media partner providing both on-air and on-line advertising to promote the fan collection and serving as one of the donation drop-off sites.  Lowe’s provided multiple levels of support including donating more than 200 fans and allowing the purchase of additional fans at cost from the monetary donations that were collected.

“The incredible outpouring of support we’ve received again this year is evidence of the outstanding compassion that exists in the Louisville community”, stated Sarah Teeters, Coordinator for OADC, part of the Office of Resilience and Community Services. “We hope to offer Fan Fair every summer if the need and the interest continue.”

“The support that the community gave this event last year was simply amazing and showed just how much passion our city’s residents have for others,” stated Jennifer Craig, Aging and Disability Resource Specialist for KIPDA.  “This year’s contributions have once again conveyed the kindness that this wonderful city has for those in need and has once again exceeded our expectations.”

For more information about the Fan Fair event, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services  or  www.KIPDA.org.

In preparation for warmer temperatures this season, KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living is again partnering with Louisville Metro Office for Aging & Disabled Citizens (OADC) to collect electric fans for seniors and persons with physical disabilities.  The fans will be distributed to qualified individuals within the KIPDA region including Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Shelby, Oldham, Spencer, and Trimble Counties.

Donations of new box fans will be collected through June 14 at:

  • KIPDA, 11520 Commonwealth Drive (Lou., KY 40299)
  • WLKY Studio, 1918 Mellwood Ave. (Lou, KY 40206)

Drop off hours are Monday through Friday; 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. for KIPDA and 8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. for WLKY.

Monetary donations will also be accepted to purchase fans. Make checks made payable to KIPDA, Attn:  Fan Fair Program and mail to the address on Commonwealth Drive listed above postmarked by June 14.  If you would like to make special arrangements for a donation or need further information, please contact Sarah Teeters (502) 574-5092 at the OADC or Jennifer Craig (502) 266-5571 at KIPDA.

Last year, over 600 fans were distributed to residents in need thanks to fan or monetary donations given by community organizations, churches, businesses, and private citizens.  Local station WLKY TV32 provided both on-air and on-line advertising, in addition to serving as one of the drop-off locations, and will provide similar support to this year’s efforts.

On June 24, a “Fan Fair” will be held from 8 a.m.- 12 p.m. at The Edison Center located at 701 W. Ormsby Ave. to distribute the collected fans to seniors 60 and older, as well as to individuals with physical disabilities, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Qualifications to receive a free fan will be:

  • Person 60 years or older
  • OR documentation verified by a physician of a physical disability
  • Must be a resident of Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble or Bullitt Counties
    • Proof of address and age will we required
  • One fan per household

“We are excited to be partnering with Louisville Metro Office of Aging & Disabled Citizens again this year, helping older adults and persons with disabilities stay comfortable during the summer months, stated Barbara Gordon, director of the KIPDA Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living.  “I am proud of all of the community partners who support this effort and help to make it happen.“

“As we continue to address the effects of our city’s urban heat island, it is imperative that our community responds to those individuals who are most in need of cooling assistance”, stated Gena Redmon, director of the Louisville Metro’s Department of Resilience and Community Services which oversees the OADC.   “Donating a fan is an easy and compassionate way to make a difference in the life of a vulnerable neighbor.”

Coinciding with the Fan Fair will be a health fair open to all ages to provide basic health checks and information from local area resources. Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness and LMPD will also facilitate a ‘Take Back Event’ to properly and safely dispose of unwanted or expired prescription drugs.

For more information about the fan donations or Fan Fair, visit www.louisvilleky.gov/communityservices or www.KIPDA.org.

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