Respect & Social Inclusion
niche. Providing programming, information, and resources in various languages, and ensuring cultural competency of City of Tucson and community partner employees, will help to increase involvement of diverse populations of older adults in the community. WhatTucson Has Done The City of Tucson and community partners are working diligently to reduce social isolation, combat ageism, promote cultural diversity, and increase engagement of older adults in the community. Several programs already exist to accomplish these goals. • The ELDER Alliance works collaboratively to break down barriers that older adults face in accessing housing, transportation, social and cultural events, caregiving, and other critical services. • Our Family Services has Elder Circles, a program that facilitates discussions throughout the community, gathering older adults who are valued as mentors and for their wise counsel. • Southern Arizona Senior Pride is a volunteer group that celebrates, supports, and unites LGBTQ older adults and their allies to help create inclusive and safe environments for the LGBTQ community. • Tucson Fire’s TC-3Team holds quarterly meetings at Fire Central, with over 100 social and medical provider agencies, to share activities, discuss and mitigate barriers to care and social needs, and create partnerships and work-flow algorithms to ensure older adults remain connected.
DOMAIN DESCRIPTION Programs that celebrate ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as multigenerational activities.
Brief Statement of Survey Responses Pima Council on Aging’s Needs Assessment responses: • Forty-six percent of respondents cited social isolation as an area of concern and nearly 50% of respondents reported that they live on their own. AARP Arizona’s survey responses: • Fifty-five percent of respondents said that they viewed activities that involve both younger and older adults within the City of Tucson as positive. • Forty percent of survey respondents said that their local school positively involved older adults in programming. • Sixty-three percent of respondents said that there was a wide array of diversity and cultural activities within the City of Tucson. Community Challenges • Older low-income adults find themselves at an increased risk of social isolation. Researchers at BrighamYoung University reviewed more than 30 years of studies including data related to social isolation and loneliness and determined that loneliness might be a more significant health factor than obesity, smoking, exercise, or nutrition for people over 65. • With the diverse nature of the City of Tucson, older adults can often struggle to find their
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