Hot Springs Mayor Ruth Carney recently pledged to improve the lives of older adults and to enable older residents to improve lives across the age spectrum by signing the Milken Institute’s Best Cities for Successful Aging Mayor’s Pledge. The pledge, part of the Institute’s Best Cities for Successful Aging initiative, comes from the Best Cities for Successful Aging Advisory Committee, an important group of thought leaders and experts in the field who are advising the Institute in its work on aging. See the Pledge here: http://www.milkeninstitute.org/publications/view/662
“With the overwhelming majority of Americans preferring to age in place, making Hot Springs a better place for aging is a priority,” said Mayor Carney. “Hot Springs can be an engine of innovation and change, and that’s why we are committing ourselves to make it work for older adults and help create a brighter future for all ages.”
By signing the pledge, Mayor Carney has agreed to encourage increased housing, health and transportation options that suit this population’s varied needs. The mayor has also committed to helping facilitate opportunities for older adults to work for the city, through volunteer activity and encore careers across the government, nonprofit and private sectors.
This fall, the Institute will recognize and publicly highlight mayors who have signed the pledge in conjunction with the publication of the 2014 edition of Best Cities for Successful Aging. The report measures, compares and ranks U.S. metropolitan areas for their capacity to enable successful aging. The methodology utilizes publicly available data on health care, wellness, living arrangements, financial well-being, transportation, employment and educational opportunities and community engagement.
“Enabling successful aging is a central issue of urban communities and municipal leaders,” said Milken Institute President Paul Irving. “The Best Cities for Successful Aging Mayor’s Pledge unites mayors in a commitment to enhance life for the largest-ever population of older adults in the U.S., and to ensure a better future for residents of all ages. We commend Mayor Carney for her leadership in signing the pledge.”
“I strongly endorse the concept of promoting our city as a place where older adults can thrive and positively impact our community,” said Mayor Carney. “This is a concept whose time has come.”