Officials are launching a series of age-friendly programs and improvements throughout Orange County as part of a new nationwide initiative.
This week, county officials announced that Orange County has joined more than 650 other communities and is part of AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.
“We’ve begun the process of implementing initiatives that are going to make our region more accessible and comfortable as we continue to age,” said Nicole Brown, Office of Aging Program Manager. “We need to take a fresh look at our aging population and its needs. Social activities for older adults took a huge hit during COVID, and it showed us just how important these programs and services are.”
As part of the initiative, Orange County residents have until May 31 to complete the Orange County Livable Communities Survey.
The initiative will analyze how effectively the County is meeting the eight Domains of Livability identified by the AARP, which include civic participation and employment, respect and social inclusion, communication and information, outdoor spaces and buildings, community support and health services, social participation, transportation, and housing.
“The goal is to integrate new age-friendly initiatives into current initiatives we already have underway, such as our transportation and affordable housing initiatives,” said Brown. “We’ll creative an action plan to see what we can integrate into these existing programs and get new ones started that will combat the issues we’re being made aware of through the survey.”