Livable Communities

By Sue Price Johnson

AARP is working to make North Carolina communities better places for people of all ages. Two major Triad Counties, Guilford and Forsyth have recently joined A ARP's Network of Age Friendly Communities and are working on changes that will make it easier for people to age in place.

ASHEVILLE -- The irony was perfect: outside the front door of Asheville’s NC Stage Company, teenagers were skateboarding down Walnut Street, an elder’s classic stereotype of adolescence if there ever was one. Inside, a different group of teens (and elders) were creating and putting on a performance––“Mind the Gap”––about breaking down such stereotypes.

GREENSBORO, NC – With nearly a quarter of the state’s residents expected to be age 60 or older by the year 2030, Guilford County took an important step to become a better place for people of all ages. The County recently applied for the World Health Organization’s status of “age-friendly” by joining the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC -- In a new program entitled “Booming,” airing in May on UNC-TV, and the NC Channel, viewers will learn how, four different programs are creating community and are building healthy and active opportunities for older adults to engage with others.

Nearly 2.5 million North Carolinians live in areas that have joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities.

RALEIGH— AARP is now accepting applications for the 2018 Community Challenge grant program to fund “quick-action” projects that spark change in local communities. The grant program, which is now in its second year, is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which aims to make communities great places to live for everyone.

The Tar Heel State has mountains, a seaside and a renowned research hub. In addition, communities across the state are taking steps to become more age-friendly.

Loneliness isn’t just joyless. It can shorten your life, increasing the risk of premature death by 30 percent.

An estimated 1 in 5 North Carolinians will be 65 or older by 2035. To help communities keep pace, AARP North Carolina will launch the Great Race to Age-Friendly in 2018.