Earlier this year, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted to enact a resolution in support of a new county program called the “Age-Friendly Guilford Initiative.”
In September, the American Association of Retired Persons, better known as the AARP, agreed to recognize Guilford County as an Age-Friendly Community.
Due to this designation by the group, Guilford County will be able to benefit from AARP’s “extensive research and established best practices among age-friendly communities, which includes: access to a global network of participating communities; technical expertise; and financial assistance.”
At the upcoming Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, Oct. 17, Guilford County will receive its official designation as an Age Friendly Community.
North Carolina has seen key demographic shifts over the decades, and, as of 2021 – the most recent official and verified age stats available – one in six North Carolinians was over the age of 65. That number represents 1.8 million people, or about 17 percent of the total population of North Carolina.
According to the NC State Center for Health Statistics, by 2031, there will be more people 65 and older in the state than there will be people under 18.
So, it’s understandable that Guilford County is currently focusing on the new needs of the aging.
As part of the new initiative, Guilford County is striving to be “a well-designed, livable community that promotes health and sustains economic growth, which makes for happier, healthier residents of all ages.”
In the past when Guilford County government has talked about ways to become more “age-friendly,” some commenters on Rhino Times’ stories stated that the best way county government could help the elderly would be to reduce taxes. For the current Board of Commissioners, that doesn’t seem like something within the realm of possibility – however, county leaders are taking other steps to make the county more age-friendly.
Creating an age-friendly Guilford County for the elderly means that the county will work to ensure that the physical, social and service environments are designed to support the needs of the aging, allow seniors independence, and raise their quality of life.
That means doing things like improving accessibility and mobility, having a pedestrian-friendly infrastructure with well-maintained sidewalks that, for instance, have needed ramps, as well as crosswalks with traffic signals that allow more time for people to get across the street.
Seniors may be living on fixed incomes, so it also means having a variety of affordable housing options and assisted living opportunities. An age-friendly society also works to allow for the inclusion of older adults in social activities held by the community. It also does things like offer accessible parks, walking trails and outdoor exercise equipment that can easily be used by seniors.
The AARP and the county commissioners want to hear ideas from residents as to how the county can be made more age-friendly.
According to the agenda item on the Thursday, Oct. 17 meeting, “An age-friendly community serves as a pathway to inclusiveness and addresses the changing needs of our residents as they age. All communities within Guilford County whether through governmental entities, businesses, non-profits, the faith community, or its citizens are able to make recommendations for a stronger infrastructure as it relates to housing, transportation, food insecurity, and other domains as identified through the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.”
Earlier this month a special day – October 7 – was devoted nationally to raising the awareness of ageism and how to guard against allowing the elderly to get mistreated or socially excluded.
Last month, in a public statement, American Society on Aging Interim President Leanne Clark-Shirley stated, “We live in an aging society, which is a wonderful, remarkable thing. But too many of us view aging with fear, denial and even hostility. We are all growing older. We can’t afford to limit ourselves and other people with such negative and harmful views, and why would we want to? Let’s lean into the opportunities, diversity and full range of experiences that come with aging.”
