SENIOR CARE The Age Friendly Network

The Age Friendly Network Making communities livable for seniors

BY WILL PHILLIPS

All of us are aging and the population of the United States is aging rapidly. By 2035, the number of adults older than 65 will be greater than the number of school-age children. In Minnesota, we hit that milestone this year. That’s why since 2012, staff and volunteers have been working throughout the nation to engage and mobilize communities, share expertise, and deliver technical assistance to the towns, cities, counties and states by creating the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (the Network). This work is part of a broader effort to make communities more livable, as well as AARP’s ongoing work to support older adults to live their best lives at every age.

The Network provides cities, towns, counties and states with the resources to become more age-friendly by tapping into national and global research, planning models and best practices. Membership in the Network means that a community’s elected leadership has made a commitment to actively work with residents and local advocates to make their community an age-friendly place to live.

OB & GYN CARE

FOR ALL STAGES OF LIFE

Low- and high-risk obstetrics, including advanced maternal age. Certified nurse midwifery. Gynecologic care, including well-woman screenings and in-office procedures Gynecologic surgeries, including minimally invasive surgeries and robotics for conditions such as endometriosis and pelvic organ prolapse Menopause Clinic, including management of peri-menopause Center for Urinary and Pelvic Health, including urodynamics. Nutrition and wellness consultations. Infertility evaluation and treatment.

Early, late, and Saturday appointments 763-587-7000 OakdaleOBGYN.com MAPLE GROVE BLAINE PLYMOUTH CRYSTAL To date, more than 500 towns, cities and counties and 6 states have enrolled in the Network – going through a rigorous five-year cycle of continuous improvement that hinges on a robust assessment of community needs. That assessment is a critical first step in the process that drives the development of a comprehensive community action plan. Enrollment in the Network is not a certificate of achievement or a gold star program, but rather a commitment to become more age-friendly by focusing on and taking action to address the needs of older adults.

Members of the Network work to make improvements in their community to all or some combination of eight domains of livability that include outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, opportunities to participate in social activities, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, community support and health services. The common thread among the enrolled communities and states is the belief that the places where we live are more livable, and better able to support people of all ages, when local leaders commit to improving the quality of life for the very young, the very old, and everyone in between.

In Minnesota, nine communities have officially enrolled in the Network and are at varying stages of work. While Minneapolis, Alexandria, Northfield and Maple Grove are in the process of implementing their Age-Friendly action plans, Hennepin and Olmsted Counties along with Brooklyn Park, St. Cloud and Princeton are newly enrolled and beginning the process of assessing community needs. To date, the work of these communities has been deliberate and impressive.

Even before the pandemic hit, the value of pursuing a more “age-friendly future” was evident. A 2019 survey of Network members revealed that 60 percent of enrolled communities in the later stages of their multi- year effort reported having achieved a change in public policy — most frequently in housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and buildings, and health and community services. The same survey revealed that 34 percent achieved a private-sector investment or action, and 85 percent described other successes, such as integrating an age-friendly lens into strategic planning and increasing collaboration within the community.

In the midst of COVID-19, the challenges of isolation, access to food and services, financial stresses, and the importance of accurate and timely information have become even more acute for older Minnesotans. As an example, “The Pandemic Effect: A Social Isolation Report” – a just-released study conducted by AARP Foundation in collaboration with the United Health Foundation, found two-thirds of adults report experiencing social isolation and high levels of anxiety since the beginning of the pandemic. The report notes that many of those affected have not turned to anyone for help, perhaps because many don’t have reliable social support networks.

Effective Support Networks greater efficacy in community efforts. And while efforts are progressing and more Because of their emphasis on cross-sector partnerships, communication, communities are primed to enroll in the Network, there is also new interest in the volunteerism and their focus on older residents, age-friendly communities have State of Minnesota stepping up its efforts to become a better place for people to age. served to enhance community response to problems like social isolation and In December of 2019, Governor Tim Walz signed Executive Order 19-38, others that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Her are some examples: which established the Governor’s Council on an Age-Friendly Minnesota and • Age-Friendly Maple Grove saw that the “formalized his commitment to making Minnesota the pandemic made affordable housing and best state to live in at any age.” That Council, comprised accessible transportation more important than of nine state agency representatives and six community ever. Their work also pivoted in the midst of the pandemic with the community partnering with T-Mobile to launch a table program for older adults and helping to transition an Where you live can even more dramatically impact people in middle age. members met throughout the spring and summer and in August delivered a set of recommendations to the Governor, calling for the State to officially enroll in the Network and for the work to be funded and existing “dial-a-ride” program to include food permanently established in law in recognition of aging shelf and grocery delivery and expanding the as a strategic priority for Minnesota. program to nearby communities. • In Northfield, the Age-Friendly group developed a telemedicine Statewide Coordination guide for elders to follow when meeting with doctors online, and as Done right, this will ensure efforts are coordinated across state agencies to part of their focus on communication and information, they sent an create a more age-friendly state. It will catalyze improvements at the local, emergency services guide to residents. community level by providing resources and removing barriers that have • And in Alexandria, the Age-Friendly group set up a friendly caller and video chat program with Elder Network to combat The work will ultimately ensure that Minnesota can tap into the the growing challenge of isolation and to help spread timely and opportunities while simultaneously solving for the challenges of an aging accurate information. population. The structures, services and community features that support older

The nine Minnesota Age Friendly Communities are part of a larger, national

previously limited innovative approaches. residents also help their children and grandchildren: transportation options, network where best practices and lessons learned are shared – helping to ensure The Age Friendly Network to page 304

BEFORE

REPURPOSING BIG BOX RETAIL FOR HEALTHCARE

EAPC converted a 33,000 SF retail store into a multi-specialty clinic based on the medical home model of care for Essentia Health in Park Rapids, MN

EAPC.NET/HEALTHCARE