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February 4, 2017

AustinUP is truly fortunate to have such an outstanding Board of Directors. Today, we are happy to announce some new roles and new faces.

Dr. Mark Carlson (Geriatrician and Founder/Director of Be Well MD) now serves as Chair. Cyndi Cummings (owner, Cummings Realty Associates and community advocate for older adults) is our new Vice Chair. Margo Weisz (Partner, City Lights Group and Project Director of the 2012-13 Mayor’s Task Force on Aging) is our Secretary/Treasurer. Angela Atwood, our former Chair, continues to serve on the Board.

We also welcome new Board members Charles Curry and Carl Angel.

Watch the Age-friendly Austin News Conference

November 16, 2016

Austin City Council Adopts Age-friendly Austin Plan;
Promotes Age-friendly Presentation as Part of Imagine Austin Speaker Series

(Wednesday, November 16, 2016) – The Austin City Council, at its November 3 meeting, voted to adopt the Age-friendly Austin Plan and actively promote and work toward Austin becoming more age-friendly in support of our city’s current and future older adults.

A working group of community members created by Austin’s Commission on Seniors developed the Age-friendly Austin Plan. Sally Van Sickle, who represents District 9 on the Commission on Seniors, said, “Austin has always been considered a young, vibrant and innovative city. Approval of this Age-friendly Austin Plan will help us maintain that reputation as vibrant and innovative even as our median age moves upward.”

Austin Adopts Plan To Be More Age-Friendly

November 4, 2016

We are proud and excited to share KUT's news coverage of the November 3rd vote re: the Age-friendly Austin Plan. Special thanks to Councilmembers Kitchen, Poole, and Casar, Mayor Pro Tem Tovo and Mayor Adler for their support. Excerpt from KUT's article, "Austin Adopts Plan To Be More "Age-Friendly": ...

The Future of Aging

October 25, 2016

Had to share this document, entitled The Future of Aging: Realizing the Potential of Longevity, here on our website. It was produced by the Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. It is one of the best resources for anyone interested in age-progressive thought leadership and new attitudes about aging. Plus it features a piece written by Texas' own Henry Cisneros. We find...

Let Your Voice Be Heard

October 4, 2016

A very important step in the implementation of our Age-friendly Austin Plan is coming up this Thursday, October 6. The Austin City Council, at its regular weekly meeting, will vote on adding an age-friendly amendment to the Imagine Austin Plan. Their approval of this amendment will allow AustinUP and our community partners to work with City of...

Transforming Communities to Empower Seniors: SXSW Eco PanelPicker

April 17, 2016

The World Health Organization describes an age-friendly community as one in which “policies, services and structures related to the physical and social environment are designed to support and enable older people to live in security, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in society.” From housing to healthcare to communication, the community design model...

Help Us Build an Age-friendly Austin

March 27, 2016

In September 2015, Austin’s Commission on Seniors formed a working group comprised of members of the Commission, AARP, AustinUP as well as local and regional service organizations, to bring to fruition recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Aging, including the development of an Action Plan to transform Austin into an Age-friendly City. This working group has met weekly to outline a five-year plan, and identify goals and strategies. Before we move forward with the next phase – communication with City leaders – we would like to hear feedback from the community about the plan and the goals we have identified. This is your opportunity to tell us what you like – and what we missed. Working with AARP, we have scheduled three free community events in April and May. (See dates below.) We hope that you can join us at one of these sessions to add your voice to this process.

AustinUP Focus Group Highlights: Age-friendly Neighborhoods

March 6, 2016

AustinUP hosted a focus group on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at Wildflower Terrace in the Mueller neighborhood. We welcomed 34 participants. Mary Anne Connolly, principal at MACMedia and founder of @changehoweage Twitter and Facebook feeds, facilitated a 90-minute discussion about the aspects, features, people, etc. that make a neighborhood age-friendly. We looked at neighborhoods using the 8...

Why Baby Boomers Refuse to Retire