Building an Age-Friendly Community

In 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated the age-friendly movement. The goal was to create communities that understood and embraced the essential efforts to meet the needs of older adults. Fast track ten years later and eight communities in northern New Jersey funded through the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation and the Grotta Fund have become the models for New Jersey’s Age-Friendly movement. Ridgewood, Garfield, Englewood, Westwood, Teaneck, Elizabeth, South Orange-Maplewood, and The Chathams became age-friendly communities that adapted their services, created programs, and collaborated in new ways between community organizations to improve the quality of life for their older adult residents. The material provided will provide community leaders with information on how to design age-friendly efforts to create the physical and social environments to help make our communities better places to live as we grow older.

Click the image, or here to download the full Municipal Toolkit. Below we’ve listed all the resources in the toolkit for your convenience.

The Cover of the Municipal Toolkit - Building an Age-Friendly Community

Eight Domains of Livibility

For more specific information about the Eight Domains of Livability see WHO Global age-friendly
cities: a guide, 2007
iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/43755/9789241547307_eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Municipal Manager and Governing Body Resources

Example of by-laws for a Senior Citizens Advisory Council
glenrocknj.net/media/attachments/2024/10/10/scacbylawsjan2023.pdf

How to include consideration of all ages when planning local service delivery
www.marc.org/document/communities-all-ages-inclusion-tool-2024

See this Regional Plan Association report on Aging in Place in New Jersey with Accessory Dwelling Units 
rpa.org/news/lab/aging-in-place-in-new-jersey-with-adus

Building Department Resources

Learn More about Universal Design
www.aarp.org/livable-communities/housing/info-2023/video-universal-design.html  

www.section508.gov/develop/universal-design/

New Jersey Future is a non-profit advocating for age friendly land use decisions, creating more livable places and open spaces
www.njfuture.org/research-reports/aging-friendly-guide/

The Regional Plan Association is an independent non-profit civic organization that develops and promotes ideas to improve the economic health, environmental resiliency, equity and quality of life of the New York Metropolitan area 
rpa.org

See AARP’s information about Accessory Dwelling Units
www.aarp.org/livable-communities/housing/info-2019/accessory-dwelling-units-adus/

Communication, Public Information and Information Technology Resources

Let your residents know about services for older adults in your County, such as this Bergen County Key Services Guide
www.co.bergen.nj.us/images/Departments__Services/Human_Services/Senior_Services/About/2024/key-services-guide-october-2024.pdf 

Let your residents know about affordable housing in your area, for example these Navigator notes published in Bergen county
myemail.constantcontact.com/NAVIGATOR-NOTES–Dec-2024-Edition.

For ideas on how to communicate in a non-Ageist manner
thischairrocks.com/

Here is an example of a valuable local service worth communicating to residents
www.bergenvolunteers.org/cheer-chore

Information about hearing loop technology
www.hearingloss.org/advocacy-and-resources/get-in-the-hearing-loop/

Engineering Department Resources

AARP’s Walk Audit Toolkit
www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/aarp-walk-audit-tool-kit.html

United States Department of Transportation “How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan”
safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_focus/docs/fhwasa0512.pdf

Strong Towns is a nonprofit organization that advocates for safe, livable and inviting cities and development that is financially strong and resilient.
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2024/8/30/cities-should-handle-car-crashes-like-they-handle-frat-houses

Health Department Resources

Information about the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign
www.njhcqi.org/healthy-town/

In Englewood New Jersey the Health Department hosted a “Walking Club” during the summer, and Age-Friendly Englewood provided free fitness trackers to those who completed six sessions. 

Englewood Hospital and the non-profit Community Chest hosted a series of Healthy Eating dinners. Groups of residents were invited and a nutritionist and chef would give a demonstration of a low-cost, nutritious meal. Guests would then enjoy the meal and be given the ingredients and the recipe to prepare the meal at home. 

Potential New Jersey State Funding
www.nj.gov/humanservices/providers/grants/nofa/ 

Information about Teaneck’s Social Worker
www.teanecknj.gov/living-in-teaneck/funding-and-assistance/

Office of Emergency Management, Police and Fire Department Resources

See this guide written by Ridgewood’s OEM and Age Friendly Ridgewood
www.agefriendlyridgewood.org/oem-emergency-planning-guide/

Many New Jersey towns have implemented the Operation Blue Angel lockbox program
www.westorange.org/1731/Operation-Blue-Angel

rfd.ridgewoodnj.net/DocumentCenter/View/3428/Operation-Blue-Angel-FAQs

Rebuilding Together North Jersey offers assistance with smoke detectors and other repairs in specific areas for some low-income home owners 
rtnorthjersey.org/safe-and-healthy-housing 

Bergen County’s program to call at-risk residents daily
www.co.bergen.nj.us/division-of-senior-services/health-and-wellness

U.S. Fire Administration’s Fire Safety Guide for Older Adults
www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/at-risk-audiences/older-adults/

Nonprofit New Jersey Future’s report on Creating Age-Friendly Communities Amid Climate Change
www.njfuture.org/research-reports/weatheringthestorms/ 

Book Recommendation:
Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation by Danielle Arigoni

Parks and Recreation Resources

CoGenerate is a non-profit that focuses on what the vast and growing older population can do in collaboration with younger generations to solve our nation’s most pressing problems
cogenerate.org/

Fair Lawn For All Ages’ created a Volunteer Youth Corps program. Consider organizing through Parks and Recreation or recruiting a local volunteer organization to do so
fairlawnforallages.org/volunteering

Planning Board Resources

From AARP Livable Communities: Expanding Middle Housing Options
www.aarp.org/livable-communities/housing/info-2024/middle-housing-policy.html?CMP=EMC-DSM-NLC-OTH-LC-1771001-2020401-8442270-NA-07102024-LivableCommunities-F1-MMHpolicy-BTN-ALL-Community-&encparam=J0Jxv%2fsqQDzhE8yNVkmAdV5PilJFg5X3MYsLV00B%2fCI%3d

From the American Planning Association, information about Accessory Dwelling Units
www.planning.org/knowledgebase/accessorydwellings/

See Information about Teaneck’s new affordable housing building and community center
taubfoundation.org/new-age-friendly-community-center-opening-in-teaneck/

Ridgewood’s Master Plan:
www.ridgewoodnj.net/DocumentCenter/View/693/Ridgewood-Master-Plan-Final-October-5-2022-PDF

Tax Department Resources

Information about Stay NJ from the New Jersey Division of Taxation
www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/staynj/index.shtml

Transportation, Parking Utility and Senior Transportation Resources

Information about NJTIP—New Jersey Travel Independence Program at Rutgers
vtc.rutgers.edu/njtip/

See this printable resource showing local transportation options for those who do not wish to drive
www.agefriendlyridgewood.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Age-Friendly-Transportation-Chart-10.26.23.pdf

Chamber of Commerce and Other Business Entities Resources

Tips for Creating a Dementia Friendly Business
www.agefriendlyridgewood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Age-Friendly-Tips-for-Dementia-Friendly-Businesses-PDF.pdf

Tips for Creating an Age Friendly Business
www.agefriendlyridgewood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Age-Friendly-Business-Tips-PDF.pdf

Public Library Resources

See this page under Dementia Friendly for more information about the program created by Ridgewood Public Library and Bergen County
ridgewoodlibrary.org/library-services/library-of-things/

General Age-Friendly Resources and Organizations

To learn about the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
www.aarp.org/livable-communities/network-age-friendly-communities/

Age Friendly North Jersey, an alliance of leaders strengthening communities for all ages
age-friendly-nj.constantcontactsites.com/

Rutgers University School of Social Work Hub for Aging Collaboration
socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/hub-aging-collaboration

New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well provides leadership and education to enable older adults to live with dignity in their communities
www.njaaw.org

Supportive Housing Association Toolkit focuses on making the case for
inclusion and how to include people with disabilities and physical limitations
in community participation.
www.shanj.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SHA-NJ-ICP-Toolkit-Second-Edition-Final.pdf

State of New Jersey Human Services Age-Friendly Blueprint
www.nj.gov/humanservices/news/reports/AF%20Blueprint_v5.pdf

Report to the US Congress May 2024 on Aging in the United States: A Strategic Framework for a National Plan on Aging by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities
acl.gov/sites/default/files/ICC-Aging/StrategicFramework-NationalPlanOnAging-2024.pdf

National Center to Reframe Aging, led by the Gerentological Society of America
www.reframingaging.org/resources