Aging and Disability Services Presents "Focus on the Future Forums"

Karen Winston, ADS Planner

Aging and Disability Services is sponsoring Focus on the Future Forums to kick off the planning process for the next four-year Area Plan on Aging for King County, 2008-2011.

The first forum, Community Design and Health Promotion, is scheduled for February 20, from 10:00 to noon, and will feature Dr. Lawrence Frank, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Bombardier Chair at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Frank will discuss the research he is currently conducting in King County that examines the relation between one’s neighborhood, quality of life, health, and physical activity. The project, the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study (NQLS), was recently expanded to include the unique experience of older adults in relation to the built environment.

Dr. Frank has published extensive research on the relation of urban land use to air pollution and transportation choices. He has also had a long-standing local presence, working in King County, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, to evaluate how land use and transportation investments impact travel choice, air quality, climate change, and public health in our region. This promises to be an interesting event.

Upcoming forums will focus on issues faced by older people and adults with disabilities as the numbers within these population segments steadily increase. Mark your calendars now for future Focus on the Future forums:

Community Design and Health Promotion
February 20, 2007
10:00 a.m. to noon
Seattle City Hall, Bertha Landes Room
600 – 4th Ave. (Use 5th Avenue entrance)

Baby Boomers and Aging Demographics
March 1, 2007
10:00 a.m. to noon
Mercer Island Community Center

Long-Term Care
March 15, 2007
1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Tukwila Community Center

Housing, Homelessness and the Elderly
April 5, 2007
10:00 a.m. to noon
Bellevue City Hall, Room 108

Disaster Preparedness
April 19, 2007
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: TBD 

For more information about the Focus on the Future Forums or the Area Plan on Aging planning process, contact Karen Winston, Area Plan Lead Staff, at 206-684-0706.