Healthy and Independent Aging
AKRO collaborates with the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, Overlap Associates, Openly, and Twelve Canada to expand the use of human-centered design in developing a world that is ready to meet an aging population. By meeting older people, caregivers, and the organizations that support them where they are, it becomes easier to co-design improvements to the challenges of aging.
We provide a variety of services including ecosystem mapping, stakeholder analysis, open data analytics, interactive dashboard development, and the use of human-centered design for outreach and engagement.
Are you working to prepare for an aging population in your community?
Learning from the Ground Up
Starting with human-centered design means getting to know clients (or end users) in meaningful ways. By using empathetic and participatory approaches to research, Aging By Design participants is building nuanced insight into the lives of older adults and caregivers. Learn more about Aging By Design here.
Prototype, Test, & Iterate
In 2018, the ten Aging By Design grantees shared in over $650,000 worth of implementation grants from the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York. The 18-month implementation phase features 6 rounds of testing and feedback of ideas with older adults and caregivers.
Start your own project by using the Aging By Design Toolkit.
Building Age-Friendly Communities
In the 2017 State of the State address, Governor Andrew Cuomo called for New York to become the first Age-Friendly State in America. “Age-Friendly” is a designation from the World Health Organization that a government is actively working to make its communities livable places for all residents to build their lives, grow up, and grow old. As an affiliate of the World Health Organization (WHO), AARP coordinates a network of Age-Friendly communities across the United States.
AKRO worked with AARP NY to develop a white paper summarizing the discussions, research, and recommendations for policy change made at the first Leading on Livability Summit in 2017.
Are you working on a project that will help prepare your community for an aging population?