Racial Equity, Social Justice and Aging

Last year Buncombe County’s Board of Commissioners declared that racism is a public health and safety crisis. Earlier this summer, the Board voted unanimously to pass a Racial Equity Plan that calls for measurable improvements in the health, education, income, criminal justice outcomes, and other life experiences of Black residents. In her letter introducing the plan, Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder wrote, “The success of this plan is contingent on Buncombe County leadership, employees and residents connecting to this work…together, we will grow as champions, teachers, and connectors for equity.” It takes a village, right?   

For our part, Age-Friendly Buncombe aims to ensure aging services demonstrate respect, equity, and inclusion for all older adults, regardless  of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other protected status (Age-Friendly Buncombe Action Item 8.3). One exciting opportunity to do this work is the YWCA of Asheville’s upcoming 21-day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge, which will begin next week, on Monday September 6th, and continue (Monday—Friday) through October 1st.   

The challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. Participants who sign up for the Challenge will receive daily tasks via email to help foster their understanding and awareness, with activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, or reflecting on personal experience. I signed up and encourage you to do the same! Furthermore, as you take the 21-day Challenge, I challenge you to consider the role aging plays in this work.   

According to the 2020 Census, 16.6% of Buncombe County residents are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and 20.1% are over age 65. While informative, these data beg further questions: What percentage of our older adult residents are BIPOC? How does aging intersect with race and ethnicity in our community? When we talk about respect, equity, and inclusion does that include older adults?   

To begin to understand some of the answers, Age-Friendly Buncombe has established the Buncombe BIPOC Elders Study Group. This project aims to study the experiences of BIPOC Elders (age 50+) in Asheville/Buncombe County. Specifically, we aim to gain understanding of the unique health and aging concerns, and experiences with the healthcare and community service systems with this population. This knowledge is critical to being able to effectively close health disparities gaps for BIPOC elders and create accessible, equitable, and inclusive services. The result of this project will help identify priorities and strategies for this work.     

For more information or to become involved with the BIPOC Elders Study Group, email age-friendly@buncombecounty.org. 

Buncombe County Commissioner Al Whitesides (2018)

The Social Bridging Project

This coming Saturday, August 21, 2021, is National Senior Citizen’s Day. Senior Citizens Day was first declared by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to recognize older adults who have spent their lives contributing to society. The Proclamation stated: “For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and a heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older — places in which older people can participate to the fullest and can find the encouragement, acceptance, assistance, and services they need to continue to lead lives of independence and dignity.”  

Buncombe County is certainly one of those places, and yet, many older adults in our community are socially isolated. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, 28.7% of adults age 65+ in Buncombe County lived alone. This is higher than the estimated national average of 25%. Nationally, approximately 43% of those age 60+ report feeling lonely, more than have diabetes or use tobacco. North Carolina ranks higher than the national average on four of the six most common risk factors for social isolation in older adults: disability, divorced/separated/widowed, independent living difficulty and living below poverty level.  

Social isolation has been found to negatively affect physical and mental health. It is a major driver of depression, anxiety, and substance use or addiction, and is equivalent, health wise, to smoking 15 cigarettes per day! Older adults who are lonely have a higher risk for early death, dementia, and functional decline.   

Pandemic-related shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders and related public health measures that were adopted to slow the spread of the virus have further exacerbated social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Although smartphone and internet use among older adults have increased significantly over the past decade, the widespread use of technology to remain virtually connected during the pandemic was not as easily adopted by older adults.   

One of Age-Friendly Buncombe’s affiliated initiatives is the Social Bridging Project, a collaboration between UNC-Asheville, the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness, MAHEC, and Healthy Aging NC. The project’s aim is to reduce the impact of social isolation and loneliness on older adults. Volunteers, who are often UNC-A students, make social wellness check-in calls to isolated individuals and offer conversations, training on the use of technology, and referrals to resources such as transportation and home-delivered meals.   

The project has successfully helped numerous people with computer, tablet, or cellphone troubleshooting, and has connected people to video chat programs and social media outlets. This is enabling older adults to connect socially with friends and loved ones, to remotely access online fitness classes and faith communities, and to use tele-health to connect with medical providers.   

The Social Bridging Project’s reach extends beyond just Buncombe County, but it sure contributes mightily to Age-Friendly Buncombe’s vision that our older adults are safe, well and engaged. To learn more about the Social Bridging Project, or to request a phone call, please leave a message at (828)771-3445 or send an email to Tasha.Woodall@mahec.net with your phone number and preferred day and time for a phone call.

P.S. In case you missed our last blog post, plans are also underway to provide in-person social bridging opportunities at the future one-stop-shop Active Aging Center, which we hope will open in January 2024. Click here to learn more about it. 

Have You Heard About Our Plans for an Active Aging Center?

Picture this:  

A centrally located active aging center, accessible by public transportation and with sufficient parking, and with the following: 

• A hub for social and community services  
• Medical, behavioral, and mental health services 
• Pharmacy and medication management services 
• An adult day center with options for adult day health  
• Activities and programming such as exercise classes, technology education, and socialization opportunities 
• A dining space, commercial kitchen, and food pantry 
• Childcare and other intergenerational programming
• Outdoor spaces including pickle ball courts 
• Flexible spaces for classes, workshops, meetings, and presentations 

Doesn’t that sound exciting?  

For the past two years, with support from WNC Bridge Foundation and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, a steering team made up of professionals and volunteers has worked with a consultant from Ibis Enterprises to explore this concept and determine the feasibility & viability of developing an Active Aging Center – a centralized, integrated aging services destination for Buncombe County.   

The objectives of this work included creating an innovative, vibrant, welcoming center, and developing a comprehensive business plan for an aging services destination with a collaborative approach addressing the social determinants of health. 

The Steering Team includes representatives and leadership from Buncombe County Health and Human Services (lead), Council on Aging of Buncombe County (lead), MountainCare (lead), Land of Sky Area Agency on Aging, YMCA of WNC, Buncombe County Library Services, MAHEC, UNC Asheville, Mountain Mobility, City of Asheville Parks and Recreation and community members. 

Research included studying five North Carolina counties with similar projects (Ashe, Chatham, Durham, Forsyth, and Orange); conducting community interviews and listening sessions; and, conducting a market analysis of demographic trends, aging services utilization, site reviews, and ownership and operations management. Over the last 2 years, this vision has become more solidified and the team is moving from the visioning phase to project implementation.   

Next steps include: 

• Finalizing ownership and operations model 
• Determining and obtaining funding  
• Confirming and finalizing community partners 
• Identifying, selecting, and securing a location 
• Engaging an architect 
• Preparing for construction 
• Opening for business (goal date: January 2024)  

The team has been working to identify potential funds for this project. In July, the team submitted a proposal to Buncombe County for American Rescue Plan funds.  

If you are interested in learning more about this project or have ideas about funding and/or location ideas, please email age.friendly@buncombecounty.org.    

We plan to utilize this blog to provide updates regarding this project in the coming months.  Stay tuned!