Oahu Residents Weigh in on Age-Friendly Features

Affordable home health care, outdoor spaces and affordable, accessible housing are among the features needed to make Honolulu an “age-friendly” city, a recent AARP study found. Other survey findings point to the need for safe streets and sidewalks, reliable public transportation and assisted-living options.

The survey of Oahu residents age 45-plus lays the groundwork for an action plan to transform Honolulu as part of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, an affiliate of the World Health Organization’s global program. AARP Hawaii is working with policymakers and planners on ways to promote the health and community engagement of the city’s older residents. The area is home to one of the nation’s most rapidly aging populations, with nearly 15 percent of Oahu’s residents age 65 or older.