On January 15, 2020, St. Joseph County was officially accepted into AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, an independent affiliate of the World Health Organization Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.
The first step to become a member of this network was for the Board of Commissioners pass a resolution committing to working toward improving the quality of life for all our residents, regardless of age.
The next step is to conduct a baseline study of how the community feels regarding the eight domains of outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, work and civic engagement, communication and information, and finally community and health services. For input, we need a minimum of 500 survey results. Any resident of St. Joseph County over the age of 45 can participate at http://sjcindiana.com/aarpsurvey. These responses will help the Age Friendly SJC Steering Committee identify areas in the community that need to be improved, and will aid in developing a future plan of action.
The Age-Friendly SJC steering committee, led by Commissioner Deborah Fleming, DMD, also will be making paper copies of the survey available in both English and Spanish, over the coming weeks, at various locations throughout the community, such as libraries and food banks. Anyone wishing to complete a paper copy can also come to the 11th floor of the County-City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN 46601.
Organizations or individuals wanting more information regarding the Age-Friendly SJC initiative, or the survey, may email questions to agefriendly@sjcindiana.com.