A Place to Call Home

The City explores ways to support older adults

Three years after the approval of a plan to ensure Westerville is a community where residents can thrive as they age, the City is taking stock of progress and opportunities to come.

"The City seeks to empower all residents to live well through accessible, responsive and inclusive services and amenities," said J.R. Fourqurean, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director. "The Westerville AgeFriendly Initiative provides insight into community needs, which enables the City to explore solutions that support independent living, self-sufficiency and community engagement."

In 2021, a team of City staff, stakeholders and community members helped to develop a comprehensive Age-Friendly action plan to address priorities and goals for outdoor spaces, transportation, housing, socialization, civic engagement and community support as part of AARP’s Age-Friendly Community certification process.

Since that time, the City has continued to explore opportunities to expand service offerings and amenities for older residents. Recent improvements include increased investment and strategic placement of benches and rest nodes throughout park trails, increased font size on street signs to accommodate people with vision impairment, extended Senior Center hours and reduced Senior Center pass holder age of 55 to appeal to a wider audience.

Additionally, the City launched the Community Service Program through the Westerville Fire Division to connect residents with community resources and provide ongoing support and the *Home Repair Program, in partnership with the MidOhio Regional Planning Commission, to address homeowners’ accessibility and urgent needs. See page 25 for details.

To receive AARP’s designation, communities must develop and maintain programs, services and amenities that improve the quality of life for people of all ages.

City staff and leadership continue to explore opportunities to help improve quality of life in Westerville as laid out in the action plan.

For more information about improvements to come, visit www.westerville.org/agefriendly.