She is a 5-foot-2 dynamo with piercing blue eyes. After retiring from a career that spans 25 years in the public health field, she moved to Saratoga Springs from the Twin Cities and immediately went about getting involved in the community. She brought an idea with her that is part of a national movement, believing that aging should be a vital process, and quickly went about locating people interested in embracing it.  The result is the formation of Saratoga Vital Aging Network. I interviewed Hope to share this idea and movement with you.

Age-wise: What is Saratoga Vital Aging Network (SVAN)?

Hope: SVAN was created to redefine aging in a positive way. SVAN embraces the trend to promote aging as a creative journey rather than a period of decline. It means continuing growth and exploration. I think you will find that most of us want to continue to be engaged in our community and in the decisions that have an impact on the quality of our lives. SVAN is a non-profit established by several Saratogians who represent the aging population in many walks of life.

AW:  How is SVAN supporting itself?

Hope: SVAN is the recipient of a Nordlys Foundation grant.

AW: Have you always been a community organizer?

Hope: I love facilitating the innovative solutions that ordinary people create by coming together to meet a shared challenge. I spent a great deal of my career building and promoting the healthy development of families and children facing multiple challenges.

AW:  How do you see aging as a community issue here in Saratoga Springs?

Hope:  According to the most recently available data, one in five residents living in Saratoga Springs is 65 years or older compared to the national average of one in eight. What this means is that there is an “elephant in the room” here that needs to be acknowledged. Look at who the people are in our restaurants, at the Film Forum, at the cultural events and the checkout desk at the library.  A friend of mine tells me that 20 percent of the newcomers in her church are 65 years old and older. There has been some acknowledgement of this demographic movement in Saratoga with the establishment of the Saratoga Seniors Committee and the improved public transportation system. However, the national trends and a SVAN survey tell us that older citizens want more say in how communities perceive them and respond to their growing presence.

AW:  Tell me more about this national trend.

Hope: Well, a great deal has to do with Kathleen Casey-Kirchling, the first born Baby Boomer who will begin collecting Social Security in January 2008 and the 76 million other Boomers to follow her. They make up approximately 27 percent of our nation’s population. This group is more likely to look upon retirement as a transition from a full-time career to new and meaningful ways to engage in the community. Saratoga needs to be ready to “ride” this demographic age-wave. As Alan Greenspan points out in his new book, the Baby Boomers represent the greatest demographic change in our nation’s history and will shape our nation’s history and culture for the next 50 years.

AW: How do the people who are already retired impact this trend?

Hope: By joining us. They are already engaged.  You can find them volunteering at the hospital, the library and local museums. Approximately 175 attend courses at the Academy for Lifelong Learning each semester. They audit classes at Skidmore. They work part-time at the big-box stores or substitute in schools and do fund raising for non-profits. Their average life expectancy is 78 years old. When Social Security legislation was enacted the average life expectancy was 58 years old for men and 62 for women. We are healthier and we have more time than the previous generation to work at staying healthy and productive.

AW:  How is SVAN different than other groups or agencies dedicated to serving older citizens? And what are its goals?

Hope: SVAN does not provide direct services. SVAN’s mission is to work with key players in the community to advocate for and create an environment that supports vital aging. Our goals are to promote life planning; civic engagement through work and service; continuous learning; connections across age groups; establishment of an information clearing house; health and wellness; and urban policy, planning and design that supports vital aging.

AW: What do you consider to be essential to support vital aging?

Hope: First and foremost, we need to dispel the image that this population is only going to be a burden on Social Security, health care and the tax base.  Supporting vital aging works both ways, it benefits the older citizen and the community by lowering health care costs, for example.  Supporting a stable, diverse and age-balanced population is a key element of a thriving community. Older citizens are a tremendous resource for community enrichment.  They are looking for a broad array of opportunities to contribute and to thrive rather than wither.

AW:  How can older people in Saratoga Springs learn more about SVAN?

Hope: Beginning in January SVAN will be hosting a series of Gatherings.

Each Gathering will include a program directed at vital aging. For example one program will address the question, how do I stay physically active no matter what stage I am at physically? The Gatherings will also include an opportunity to answer a survey that allows older citizens to identify their priority issues.

AW:  Who does SVAN want to engage in this movement?

Hope:  Every citizen in Saratoga Springs interested in a vital aging process for themselves, their parents, their grandparents, and their neighbors. We want every citizen to participate in an ongoing “community conversation” about how to promote vital aging.