photo credit SCOPE
SCOPE’s (Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence) mission is to connect and inspire citizens to create a better community. A private nonprofit, SCOPE is a convener, catalyst and facilitator, partnering with residents to generate collective action around issues affecting quality of life. It is fitting that Sarasota County, as the oldest in the nation and with 30 percent of its residents over 65, focuses considerable attention on aging. Founded in 2001, SCOPE collaborates with Sarasota County residents, elected officials, and community organizations to support broad-based undertakings led by citizens, to solve a variety of community concerns. Initiatives have addressed the environment, transportation, family violence, community change, and the needs of aging residents, to name just a few. All SCOPE activities address issues that strongly influence the quality of life in Sarasota County.
With Sarasota County’s large older adult population, it is not surprising that SCOPE’s perspective on aging is both positive and constructive. It views Sarasota County’s older adults as assets to and active participants in the community. In 2005, to examine the consequences of aging, the opportunities and challenges, SCOPE launched the initiative Aging: The Possibilities. Over 900 residents participated in many discussions, and presentations by experts covered a range of issues relevant to community planning for aging residents—and on their great capacity for enhancing the quality of life in Sarasota County.
The results of Aging: the Possibilities strengthened SCOPE’s capacity to engage Sarasota County in community building informed by a clear understanding of the potential of its older residents. The creation of The Institute for the Ages and the Winter Forum were two very successful outcomes. The Institute was created by SCOPE and a diverse steering committee of local leaders from the private and public sectors, higher education, and senior services. The Institute was endorsed by county leaders, elected officials, residents, and local, regional, and national organizations, as well as leaders in the aging arena. The Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County made The Institute an integral part of its strategic plan; $2.1 million in public and private funding helped officially launch the Institute in 2011[i].
The Institute for the Ages connects older adults with organizations that need their perspectives, and supports research and development about residential options for older adults that ensure that they stay connected to the community and to all generations. The Institute also convenes multi-sector groups to address opportunities or problems related to the demographic transition; and produces findings, products, services, tools, or approaches for people and organizations serving older adults. In 2012, The Institute hosted the Winter Forum, an annual event that features presentations by national experts on current thinking about the possibilities of aging. The Continuing the Conversation (CTC) workgroups, in which Winter Forum attendees meet throughout the year, continue discussions relating to Forum topics, and now have 300 members. Participants meet regularly, examine issues and make recommendations for community change that will enhance the lives of Sarasota’s older adults.
In 2011, SCOPE entered into a partnership with the Patterson Foundation and the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, to engage residents in an exploration of the experience of aging in Sarasota. The partnership, named Aging with Dignity and Independence, used qualitative and community-based approaches to examine the views of more than 500 respondents. An analysis of the data revealed six themes that influence dignity and independence of those who are aging: meaningful involvement, respect and social inclusion, communication and information, health and well-being, aging in place, and transportation and mobility. The summary report is designed to be a catalyst, promoting the community’s suggestions for change, as well as a resource for ideas and best practices from around the globe. The initiative is now reaching out to Sarasota County communities and encouraging the implementation of appropriate strategies by all sectors, to include nonprofit services, businesses, healthcare providers, neighborhoods, faith communities, and local government.
SCOPE continues to engage Sarasotans in a number of ways: partnering with neighborhoods, using community data to support change, and nurturing the progress of Aging with Dignity and Independence. SCOPE is likely to see many more opportunities for community action as it discovers innovative approaches to the challenges associated with an aging population.