Arlington Finalizes Age & Dementia Friendly Action Plan

ARLINGTON, MA — The Arlington Council on Aging has finalized its Age and Dementia Friendly Action Plan, according to Director of Health and Human Services Christine Bongiorno and Council on Aging Director Kristine Shah.

The new plan, which was accepted by the Arlington Select Board in June, highlights future steps to improve social and physical environments and make communities livable for older residents, while also prioritizing members of the community living with dementia and their families.

"The Town of Arlington has many age-friendly activities and initiatives already ongoing, and the finalized Age and Dementia Friendly Action Plan will build on that existing momentum," Shah said in a statement. "We are fortunate to have dedicated and passionate residents and stakeholders who are helping to spearhead this effort, along with the support of many town departments, local businesses and organizations who will help us achieve the plan's goals. Overall, we hope to continue to strengthen the livability and age-friendly characteristics of our town."

The plan was created starting in 2019, when the COA conducted a needs assessment through a focus group and an age-friendly survey and gathered feedback from residents about challenges and barriers to livability in Arlington.

In 2021, the Town of Arlington partnered with the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) in the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston to begin the development of an Age-Friendly Action Plan that would address the identified barriers to livability.

The finalized plan features 10 age-friendly goals for improvement in the areas of housing, transportation and mobility, community supports and health services, social participation and inclusion, and communication and partnerships. The goals include:

• Expanding housing options in Arlington and supporting home modifications that promote aging in place.
• Enhancing existing transportation options; - promoting ride-sharing services and volunteer transportation opportunities.
• Addressing ways to contribute to the physical environment; - exploring the expansion of home and community-based services to support aging in place and dementia-friendly practices.
• Engaging adults age 55 and older in existing programs and developing new offerings to promote learning and wellness.
• Promoting the accessibility of existing social programs to include and attract residents age 55 and older.
• Increasing opportunities to promote mutual respect and relationships across generations.
• Creating multi-media information channels and enhancing existing communication mechanisms for town-wide information distribution.
• Fostering creative partnerships to improve equitable access to existing communication channels.

The Arlington Age and Dementia Friendly Action Plan will now be distributed to community partners, local businesses and decision-makers in Arlington to help advance projects that will positively impact how older adults live.