It’s been a thoroughly harrowing winter. That, and an approaching big birthday, got me to thinking… 

We regularly hear moans about Vermont’s “aging population;” but little innovation is undertaken to improve the experience of old age  for those who either will not or cannot choose to simply move away.

Gone for good is the tradition that advanced age brings wisdom and a valued place at the table.  Having stayed on this earth well beyond their “use-by” date, the elderly grow accustomed to being the butt of the joke in a world where youth and beauty are currency.

Having myself reached that age of permanent embarrassment, I feel well-qualified to propose a statewide Council on Senior Mobility to explore ways to make later life more meaningful and valuable to the community through innovative accessibility solutions.

Yes, there are buses and ride services available to those who require motorized transport; but a large and growing sector of the senior population would prefer to walk or cycle on their daily rounds, both for health and for convenience sake.

Take, for instance, St. Albans City, where I live.  A network of sidewalks link neighborhoods with shops, services and gathering places.  They are admittedly a burden to maintain and not always in top condition; but at least they are available to the determined pedestrian.

Sadly, that amenity disappears at the City boundaries where the Town takes over and there are no sidewalks whatsoever.  All of the large shopping centers and box retailers lie beyond city boundaries and therefore, beyond access by foot traffic.

Anyone choosing to walk or bike along Main St. to those bustling hives of retail commerce is at risk for his or her life.  No quarter is given by motorists for the hapless pedestrian who has invaded “their” roadway.

Priority #1 for the Council on Senior Mobility would be to incentivize Vermont towns and cities to build sidewalks and bikepaths. This would benefit, not just seniors, but all citizens.  Here “incentivize” means to provide generous funding and planning assistance.  Some towns will not see the value of building and maintaining pedestrian infrastructure no matter how it is explained, so there must be a long-term funding commitment by the state to maintenance as well as the initial build.

When local shoppers begin to leave their cars at home, the payoff will come in health benefits to the entire community and reduced costs from illness and accident.

Each community will have slightly different infrastructure needs to address its senior population, but all should plan to make local amenities accessible in all four seasons without the necessity of an automobile.

This means in winter, too.  Snow removal and ice mitigation should be obligatory for any municipality, and state assistance should be available as needed.  Nothing is worse than looking out at a new blanket of heavy snow, realizing you have no choice but to go out to the bank or the post office, and then attempting to guess at a viable pathway to do so.  If the sidewalk hasn’t been plowed, you take your life into your hands to walk down the middle of the street.  If ithe sidewalk has been plowed, you might be tempted down the path, only to slip and fall on the ice lying hidden just beneath the remaining snow.

The end result is that older adults may become winter shut-ins, missing the fresh air, daylight and society that a walk downtown might provide.

So, in Vermont, Priority #2 should be to adequately fund and maintain snow removal and ice mitigation so that any pedestrian of any age might safely use the sidewalks in winter.

Senior Mobility Priority #3 takes the pedestrian equation one step further, to providing and maintaining dedicated bike lanes of a sufficient width to allow a bicycle and an adult tricycle to safely pass one another.  Bike lanes should be signalized and provided with clear signage for maximum safety.

These first three priorities represent a fairly modest wish list, really; but they require a kind of investment Vermonters have been loathe to prioritize. We routinely pay for roads, parking lots and parking garages with only minor grumbling; and don’t imagine for a second that they don’t require even more maintenance investment than sidewalks do.

Priority #4 should be to make more affordable groceries available to the people who really need them;  not just to those with automobiles and living space to accommodate bulk buying.  This isn’t just a concern for seniors but for anyone of any age who has neither the means nor the space to do big box shopping. Thinking along the lines of food shelf organization, communities can make this happen by organizing non-profit group stores where box lots can be broken down for individual purchase, and the bulk savings shared among a pool of single and elderly neighbors.

Priority #5 is to think outside the box.  Mobility of the mind is just as important to senior health and well-being as physical exercise.

If we have to begin addressing our growing elderly demographic and declining youth population,  instead of bemoaning the shift as a loss, perhaps we should grow up and embrace it as an opportunity to explore a new market, adapting some of our old systems to fit that market.

If Vermont’s many small colleges are closing due to enrollment drops, how about opening them up again as Senior Living and Learning campuses?  

We are finding ways to live longer lives, why not make them better quality lives as well?  I would expect there might be quite a market out there among the growing population of people who are long on years but still full of vitality.

Not so very long ago, life was short and brutal, ending normally before age 50.  Now at age 50, there is every possibility that one might live an additional 50 years to age 100 or beyond.  That’s equal to a second lifetime!

Opportunity for the forward-looking state economy lies in identifying what people will want to do with that second lifetime, and what services they will require in order to get the most out of their additional years.  A progressive state like Vermont should see the value of investment in such an innovative economic model.

If we were smart, we would begin to examine Climate Change as an opportunity to positively rebrand Vermont’s four-season reputation.  A lot of people are growing weary of the scorching heat, water shortages and weather dramas that are playing out in America’s traditional retirement states.  

The cup is half-full, not half-empty.  Fill it to the brim with new ideas and innovative ambitions!