Royal Oak Is Taking Steps To Be More 'Age Friendly'

ROYAL OAK, MI — Royal Oak may be known as a youthful city, but it’s doing its part now to make sure its older residents are comfortable.

More than 25 percent of Royal Oak residents will be age 60 or older by 2030. As the population ages, the city wants to ensure that policies and community amenities, such as housing, transportation, and healthcare are senior friendly.

“As we address these issues, we want to make sure our community continues to be a place where people of all ages want to live, work and play,” city officials said.

The City of Royal Oak has recently joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities. As a participant in the Network of Age-Friendly Communities, the City of Royal Oak is committed to:

• Engaging with seniors to identify city elements and policies that can be altered or created to better facilitate senior living.
• Developing a five-year action plan to address community engagement feedback.
• Measuring the impacts of action plan activities and reporting on them publicly.

The AARP and the city will host an event on Thursday, April 4 from 2-4 p.m. at the Mahany-Meininger Senior Center, located at 3500 Marais, to kick off the program designed to make Royal Oak a better place for all ages. Members of the public are invited to attend.

During this event, residents will gain a better understanding of what it means to be Age-Friendly, how it can help drive economic development, and how to get involved.

The city will be seeking resident feedback and opinions on how local policies and programs can drive innovation within the city and make it a more livable community.

Additional information regarding the Age-Friendly Network can be found at www.aarp.org/agefriendly.