Feature
The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work is in Allegheny County, where 19.7% of people are age 65 or older, compared to 16.8% nationally. So it made sense for the school to join forces with Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh (AFGP), whose mission is to rethink how neighborhoods are built and to help make the region more inclusive of all ages.
Associate Professor Rafael Engel, who coordinates the school’s gerontology certificate program and serves as AFGP’s director of research, says that the idea of making the county accessible for all age groups is an important one.
“It’s very consistent with what we do in social work—consistent with our values, our belief set, and the kind of work we do in general,” he says.
As a research partner to AFGP, Pitt Social Work is tracking the impact of a robust action plan submitted to the World Health Organization’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities in December 2022. The plan covers a variety of domains—such as transportation, housing, and social participation—and includes designated age-friendly neighborhoods, of which there are currently three in Allegheny County: Clairton, Coraopolis, and the Hill District.
Participating residents in each neighborhood decide what projects would help them successfully age in place in their communities. With support, they may set up a new shuttle service; a job fair; or a project like one in Clairton, where older adults and high school students painted bright planters to be displayed in the town’s business district. So far, more than 330 community members have joined in.
“The communities will define what success means, and then we determine whether they were indeed successful,” says Engel. “We facilitate the conversation.”
In addition to helping Pitt students get involved in the projects, Engel and Research Associate Daniel Lee are conducting focus groups and attending a range of community events. They saw a standing-room-only crowd pack the Clairton Family Center for a night of bingo and karaoke led by a group of older adults. New neighbors were welcomed. People of all ages chatted with one another. Folks offered to help take care of babies so their parents could play bingo. Teen volunteers tended to people’s needs throughout the room.
“In a world where we hear about racial conflicts and intergenerational gaps, the Clairton event was a refreshing moment,” says Lee. He says that because the projects are planned and executed by people in the neighborhood, there will be capacity building, and the hope is that people’s impression of the community will change.
“More and more people will be showing up with the sense of membership,” he says.
AFGP staff are excited about the collaboration, which also includes the Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging. AFGP Executive Director Laura Poskin says that the collaborations are helping the program to extend its reach.
“We try to not think of everything as a challenge but instead focus on the opportunities that come with our new demographic reality,” she says. “As people with career expertise, buying power, and skills, older adults are one of our few growing natural resources.”