'Age-Friendly' Efforts Gain Momentum

When a group of older residents went to the Little Rock mayor for help after losing access to a swimming pool in 2017, little did they know the city was also about to lose its only senior center. That will soon be addressed.

The Little Rock Board of Directors has earmarked funds to renovate an existing facility and make it a dedicated center for older adults — including money to build a swimming pool.

The move is part of efforts to improve the quality of life for the city’s older population. The city joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in 2019, and the mayor established the Age-Friendly Little Rock Commission the same year.

The commission got busy quickly, conducting a community needs assessment and working on an action plan. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and work stalled.

The commission is now back at it, says Joan Diehl, an AARP volunteer and member of the city’s age-friendly commission. Beyond that, she says, “there’s a lot of synergy” among the many groups in the city working on livability issues.

To capitalize on the momentum, the 1st Annual Age-Friendly, Livable Community Summit and Expo will be held in Little Rock on Thursday, Sept. 12. The event will help organizations, residents and city leaders network and raise awareness about livability and the needs of aging residents.

In addition, AARP Arkansas Associate State Director for Community Outreach and Engagement Patricia Fry will hold three meetings this fall — one each in northwest Arkansas, Little Rock and south Arkansas — to explain AARP’s age-friendly network.

For information on the upcoming summit and meetings about the age-friendly network, see aarp.org/ar.

—Stacey Shepard