Retired?...or ReWired? Episode 5: Portland---Issues and Challenges

In this episode we speak with City Commissioner Nick Fish on "Portland:  Issues and Challenges."

Where are we headed, where should we be going?

Commissioner Nick Fish has been a proponent of interests of elderly population in Portland for your entire career here, from the formation of Portland Age Friendly to the work of Elders in Action. 

We asked him:

What accounts for your special interest in this demographic?

Why have other elected officials seemed slow to recognize the importance of the elderly population and its growth in the City and region?

You are the City’s liaison with Elders in Action. 

• What’s your connection with EIA now?
• Has the City’s support for this group waned in recent years?
• Funding through the ONI is an important part of the EIA budget?  Will that funding survive?

The Portland Age Friendly Program was an exciting initiative when it started ten or so years ago?  What has it accomplished?

• It seems to be in a kind of hiatus now----is that true?

I sense that the public facilities that serve the elderly here are important and useful but very under-supported (tal the Holllywood Sr. Ctr., as an example).  Is that true, and what can be done about the situation?

There’s a lot of talk of intergenerational development, often meaning the construction of schools that serve also as senior centers.  Can and should this happen in Portland?

Do you think Portland is a good place to get old, a good place to retire?

Are the city’s efforts to expand housing benefitting the elderly?

Is housing for elders a problem or challenge in Portland?

Do you see any specific actions that the City should be taking to prepare for the increased aging of the population?

Jay Bloom, Bloom Anew

Is Portland a good place to retire?

Give us a brief history of Age Friendly Portland-Multnomah Co:

• Major accomplishments
• Current agenda
• Is the effort viable/on track? (web site has no planned events…)

How does or should the elderly population play a role in economic development?

What should the City and County be doing to think proactively about the coming explosion of the elderly population?

• Is “explosion” the right term here?
• What programs and facilities are missing, and needed, to serve this demographic?

Can you give us some specific suggestions on tools/strategies that the older residents of this region can use to improve their lives here---

• Specific resources that more people should be using.
  • Programs
  • Organizations
  • Expertise
  • Funding