Age-Friendly Resources

What is Age-Friendly?

 

New Jersey Age Friendly Blueprint

New Jersey, like the rest of the United States, is expected to experience a significant demographic shift in relation to its aging population. The U.S. Census Bureau forecasts that residents ages 65 and older could account for nearly 20 percent – more than 1.85 million people – of the State’s total population by the end of the decade. This growth presents an opportunity for communities to implement strategies that can best serve older adults by meeting their health, financial, and social needs. 

Age-Friendly communities are welcoming and livable for people of all ages. These communities provide affordable and accessible housing and transportation options, meaningful volunteer and social opportunities, easy access to essential services, and safe public spaces. These measures ultimately benefit everyone, as supporting the success and well-being of older adults means they can continue making invaluable contributions in their neighborhoods, to the economy, and to the State as a whole.

New Jersey Age Friendly Blueprint Built Social Environment

The World Health Organization (WHO) identified eight essential domains for healthy and active aging that inform all age-friendly efforts. These domains are:

  • Outdoor spaces and buildings
  • Transportation
  • Housing
  • Social participation
  • Respect and social inclusion
  • Civic participation and employment
  • Communication and information
  • Community support and health services

 

 

The State of New Jersey is committed to supporting older adults through age-friendly supports and programs. On March 2, 2021, Governor Phil Murphy formally expanded these efforts by signing Executive Order 227, creating an Age-Friendly State Advisory Council to work with the Department of Human Services to develop an age-friendly blueprint outlining strategies and practices that municipalities, counties, and business organizations can undertake to create age-friendly communities. The Advisory Council, which convened throughout 2023, comprised of representatives from state and local government, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community groups.

The Advisory Council held regular meetings, presentations, and two public listening sessions over the course of 18 months to identify challenges to older adults that would form the basis of the blueprint. These challenges include rising housing costs, limited at-home care access, and social isolation.  Several themes also became apparent that, along with the WHO’s age-friendly domains, helped form the Advisory Council’s recommendations, including the increasing use of digital technology; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and economic security.

An Age-Friendly New Jersey requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Counties, municipalities, and communities can best make strides in age-friendly growth when assessments are conducted of their particular populations, resources, and needs. Strategies tailored to address community issues make the most difference for the residents who live there.

With support from the Age-Friendly Advisory Council, the Department of Human Services completed and released the Age-Friendly Blueprint in May 2024. More information about the Age-Friendly Blueprint can be found here .

At the time of the New Jersey Age-Friendly Blueprint’s publication, 23 New Jersey communities are members of AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, an increase of 14 communities since the signing of Executive Order 227.

In 2012, AARP established the Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities to encourage the creation of age-friendly communities and highlight communities that have made concrete efforts to become age-friendly. In addition to New Jersey being part of the Age-Friendly Network, there are currently 23 communities in New Jersey that are also members.

A complete listing of counties and municipalities that are part of AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities can be found below:

Counties

  • Bergen
  • Ocean
  • Somerset

Municipalities

..Cover of the document.
NJ Age-Friendly Blueprint [PDF]

What is the Age-Friendly Blueprint?

The New Jersey Age-Friendly Blueprint outlines actionable ideas and overarching philosophies to improve New Jersey’s communities for their aging populations. The growth in the state’s older-adult population, which rose 31.3 percent from 2010 to 2021, is not a problem to be solved but an opportunity to rethink and change how communities in the state function and how residents live. The blueprint presents a number of solutions that, if implemented, can make New Jersey a better place for residents of all ages.

The purpose of the blueprint is to present a framework for New Jersey communities and organizations to establish new efforts to enhance the lives of older New Jerseyans now and in the future. Parties interested in furthering age-friendly efforts in their communities can use the recommendations to implement initiatives at the local level.

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Blueprint Contents

The blueprint first offers a brief overview of the concept of “age-friendly,” highlights past efforts in this space, and summarizes the path to gather information and input for its contents. It also offers paths that communities can take to assess their present age-friendliness and create a tailored plan to become age-friendly. The New Jersey Age Profile presents the unique demographic, economic, and linguistic factors that describe the state’s aging population, emphasizing that the differences between areas in the state require age-friendly efforts to take a locally based approach.

The recommendations in the blueprint are split into six sections:

  1. Housing
  2. Health
  3. Transportation
  4. Socialization
  5. Employment
  6. Communication & Outreach

Each section includes an overview of the current state of these issues as they relate to New Jersey’s older-adult population, as well as recommendations that address these issues. Within each section are recommendations from at least one of three cross-cutting issues that were recurring themes across all sections in discussions leading to the blueprint: Technology, Economic Security, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

At the end of each section, readers can find an example of a program they can use as a model or jumping-off point for their own initiatives.

The Age-Friendly Grants Program aims to strengthen the capacity of New Jersey communities by providing funding opportunities to local government and nonprofit organizations to assess, plan, and develop local age-friendly initiatives that support the health and wellbeing of older adults. The program is designed to advance efforts that result in tangible and sustainable transformation of policies, systems, and environmental conditions.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued by the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Aging Services (DoAS) and seeks bidders to provide the services described in this RFP beginning December 31, 2024 and ending on June 30, 2026. Contingent upon available appropriations, and with funding and oversight provided by DoAS and its contracted partners, grantees will undertake initiatives through one of two possible grant options: Age-Friendly Communities or Age-Friendly Projects. Both grant options will promote public, private and cross-sector partnerships, as well as public policies that improve the health, wellbeing, satisfaction, and quality of life for all residents by addressing the eight age-friendly domains of livability:

  • Outdoor spaces and buildings
  • Transportation
  • Housing
  • Social participation
  • Respect and social inclusion
  • Civic participation and employment
  • Communication and information
  • Community support and health services

To learn more about the Age Friendly Grants Program, you can view the press release, or refer to the full RFP.

This page provides links to resources and programs that can help communities and organizations plan new age-friendly programs and efforts. In addition to overall background on the age-friendly movement, this page includes links to efforts throughout the state that serve as models of successful age-friendly programs that can be used to inform programs. As in the Age-Friendly Blueprint, resources and program examples are split into six categories: housing, health, transportation, socialization, employment, and communication and outreach.

General Age-Friendly Planning Resources

Housing

Health

Transportation

Socialization

Employment

Communication & Outreach