Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn issued his plan for older adults today, beginning with a vow not to lump them together as "seniors." He wants to beef up neighborhood safety, volunteer programs, affordable internet access, and senior older adult services. Whether McGinn wants to call them "seniors" or something more, um, nuanced, they're a demographic he'll have to woo if he wants to become mayor. Right now, challenger Joe Mallahan is owning the senior vote. A poll released Tuesday shows Mallahan with 45 percent of the vote of poeple over 50 years, and 44 percent of voters over 65 years old. McGinn, in contrast, has 33 and 31 percent of the respective groups.

McGinn's don't-call-them-seniors plan is after the jump.

The future of this city is only as bright as the future of the individuals who live here. Seattle has a tradition of progressive values that are ahead of national norms, and in this spirit we should strive to embrace a culture of caring and respect for our elders. Whereas older adults are more diverse than any other age group, they are too often lumped together as “seniors”—a word usually associated with an age cut-off. Our older adult population is passionate and knowledgeable about both quality of life issues and making the city affordable. It is essential that older adults are not merely served by the city, but are integrally involved in charting its course. Therefore, my Positive Aging initiative aims to break down isolation and enable us to learn from our community elders.

Open up access to new opportunities and reduce social isolation.
My administration will adopt the ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) model championed by former Department of Neighborhoods director Jim Diers, to view older adults as tremendous assets. Next Chapter Puget Sound is helping to connect older adults with volunteer, work, learning and self discovery opportunities which adds capacity to non profits and enriches civic life. The city can do much to cultivate Elders as mentors, such as the partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters and Senior Services called GenerationBIG.

Create a safe, healthful & inviting built environment for older adults.
The city’s public spaces should be both loved and used by people of all ages. Streets and neighborhoods must be safe and inviting places for everyone, in all seasons of the year. The city can do more to support and encourage outdoor activity and community public gathering spaces. This means safe streets, sidewalks in good repair, and easy street crossings as well as amenities such as benches, awnings, covered bus stops, and pedestrian-scale street lighting. For example, we can promote daily exercise programs in parks and support neighborhood efforts to establish priority walking routes or loops.

Improve service and efficiency with better agency coordination, integration.
Aging & Disability Services is the primary funder for programs that serve older adults and has a national reputation. Senior Services is leading an initiative called Aging Well at Any Age that will lead to partnerships between business and non profits and between non profits serving people across the ages. Seattle is rich with a diversity of facility-based programs offered in senior centers and in community centers. There are many opportunities to improve coordination to better serve three generations of older adults. Parks & Recreation’s Lifelong Recreation program provides people ages 50+ with a breadth of opportunities with new “Senior Hubs” planned at three community centers. My administration will encourage each of the city’s agencies to review their services and programs with an eye to the needs of older adults.

Plan & prepare for the demographic shift.
The 60+ year-old population is growing dramatically — doubling over the next 20 years, nationally. This demographic shift requires that we do better at valuing older adult contributions and think better about effectively serving older adult needs. The 2008-2011 Area Plan on Aging needs to be updated. My administration will prioritize the task of developing the 2012-2015 Area Plan teaming with the Senior Services Initiative, Aging Well at Any Age plans to organize the community using an asset-based community development model that draws on community strengths to prepare Seattle for the demographic challenges ahead.

Work to improve the safety net.
Though we are much better at evaluating services and programs today than we were in the past, people are still falling through the safety net. The city ought to improve accountability with a public and periodic assessment of older adults’ experiences. We must strive to listen better to and value our elders’ voices. The City must ensure that its programs have impact and capacity to deliver when it is called upon.

Specific measures in my Positive Aging Plan include:

* Intergenerational programs.

Youth and older adults are both subjects of ageism, but by linking them each can become stronger. These programs open new worlds for both our youth and our elders through topics such as computers, travel, social networking, urban gardens, public speaking, and personal finance.

* Enhance elder access to information technology.

Older adults regularly find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. I will address affordable Internet access for older adult housing during the licensing process with Internet providers and cable companies. We will revisit the 211 phone number issue in the context of the Government 2.0 initiative, working to put in place a single, reliable portal to relevant services and information. We will explore how information technology can support a system in which, wherever possible and desired, healthcare decisions made by caregivers include families of affected older adults.

* Lifelong teaching & learning across all age groups.

We can better connect older adults in Seattle with educational opportunities — as both learners and as teachers. Research shows that lifelong learning improves the quality of life and prevents brain deterioration. Therefore, we should try to promote programs that educate and stimulate mental cognition. Seattle’s highly educated population, colleges, universities, and community educational course offerings are tremendous assets. The city will integrate “access to and exchange of knowledge” among our positive aging goals.

* Make “work” work for elders & serve all ages.

Today, many older adults are balancing jobs, making it difficult to plug in to programming that is weighted toward daytime hours. My administration will explore scheduling issues for programs to make them available to the largest number of people.

* Livable Communities for all ages - Universal Design training for SDOT & DPD staff.

Universal design is the concept that things like bigger street signs, well-constructed curb ramps, and smooth surfaces benefit everyone, not only people with disabilities. My administration will work to serve our most vulnerable citizens. We will empower a universal design citizens advisory committee to review city programs that could readily adopt this approach.

* Upgrade the coordinating council function of the Mayors Office for Senior Citizens and ADS and identify opportunities to increase efficiency, avoid duplication, and simplify communication among stakeholders and service providers.

* Preventative Health programs for a Positive Aging experience.

Work closely with Public Health — Seattle & King County to implement a greater suite of disease prevention programs. Seek funding options from HUD Deputy Director Ron Sims, the EPA, DHHS, and DOT and make Seattle a focus for Federal efforts in their new Livable Communities and Sustainable Communities initiatives. Promote physical activity to promote health and stability for older adults. Work with the Health Department to promote nutrition and preventative measures to ensure a good life for older adults.

* Promote evidence based research, practice and governance model.

Listen to the best evidence on healthy aging. The University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center heads the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded Health Aging Network — a national consortium of nine university Prevention Research Centers. This administration will bring these researchers to the table with relevant staff & older adults to work out action steps that are achievable. Seattle is known nationally for its evidence based health promotion programs for older adults, specifically Enhance Fitness and Enhance Wellness operated by Senior Services.

* Support Caregivers.

Unpaid caregivers provide 80% of the care for our elders. We need to acknowledge the important role they play, while also working to protect and increase the funding available for paid caregivers.