Success Story: Seniors on the Move
Ellen Young, Orange County Health Department, Myra Austin, Council on Aging, and Ben Hitchings, Triangle J Council of Governments had a mission. They were looking for ways to encourage Orange County senior citizens to be more active. Out of the growing concern about the physical inactivity of Orange County senior citizens, and the impact of this on their health and their ability to maintain an independent life, they formed the "Active Seniors Team" partnership. The goal of the partnership was to create a safe environment that would encourage seniors to be active.
The Active Seniors Project brought together a diverse group of public health educators, land use planners, and senior services professionals. Their goal was to work with senior citizens and community members to promote physical activity in the neighborhood surrounding the new Orange County Senior Center.
The new Senior Center was in the construction planning stages, so the partnership seized this unique opportunity to influence its site design, and propose improvements for the surrounding neighborhood. A grant received from the NC Division of Public Health, Physical Activity and Nutrition Branch Community Grants program helped to make this project possible.
The new Senior Center will be constructed next to the Orange County Southern Human Services Center. This area has a community park, a planned greenway, retail development, several churches, and a number of residential neighborhoods. All of these potential destinations could make this an active community and give the estimated 200 senior citizens and county employees, who will use the senior center and work at the Human Services Center, a great place to be physically active.
"Having a crosswalk at Homestead Park will make walking in the area safer and much more enjoyable. "
Pam McCall, Nurse at the SHSC and Active Seniors Project Team Member
"It’s no longer good enough to tell people to eat healthy and be active; you have to create that in their environment."
Ellen Young, Health Promotion Coordinator, Orange County Health Department
The Road to Success
In late February and early March 2005, a group of senior citizens and other neighborhood stakeholders set out to assess the neighborhood. On bicycles and on foot - with wheelchairs, strollers and bicycles - they began testing all the walkways and bike paths within a ½ mile radius of the future senior center. Obstacles were systematically identified and solutions recommended improving the safety and quality of the neighborhood pedestrian and bicycle network. The partners compiled their recommendations in a report: Seniors on the Move: Recommendations for Promoting Walking and Biking near the New Southern Orange County Senior Center"
The partnership's top two recommended improvements, to install crossing improvements and to extend the sidewalk on Homestead Road were included as a stipulation in the Special Use Permit approved by the Town of Chapel Hill for the construction of the Senior Center. This will considerably expand the opportunities for walking and biking in the months and years ahead in the area. In the process, they will help Orange County and Chapel Hill address the inactivity health crisis and improve the lives of seniors and community members of all ages.
Stepping Stones...
- Make sure all necessary partners are included in the project.
- Reward your volunteers - this project was successful because of them.
- The success of this project was dependent upon the project being initiated during the planning stage of the new senior center - timing was key.
Contact Information
Name, Title: Ellen Ipsen Young, Health Promotion Coordinator
Agency: Orange County Health Department
Phone: 919-968-2022 x 292
