MyEnglewood June 2017 | Page 5

Age-Friendly Englewood helps residents age-in- place AT THE ENGLEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY Age-Friendly Englewood, a coalition of 45-plus nonprofit and civic organizations, houses of worship and agencies of city government, is working diligent- ly to help make it as easy as pos- sible for older adults to age in place with dignity and inde- pendence. Operating under the umbrel- la of the Community Chest of Englewood, Age-Friendly Engle- wood conducted surveys and focus groups over the past sev- eral months and has developed a plan to help Englewood become more “age-friendly.” Areas of focus include Housing, Outdoor Spaces (Streets & Parks), Civic Participation, Social Participation, Transporta- tion and Communication. “One of the biggest needs we found is that people don’t know about the services that are already available,” says Janet Sharma, coordinator of Age- Friendly Englewood. “To rectify that, we are hosting events, keeping our website up-to-date, and producing a newsletter with information about activities and resources.” The DPW calendar distrib- uted to residents early in the year includes information about “age-friendly” activities, and plans are in progress to update the calendar next year. Age-Friendly Englewood hosted a conference on Housing Options in May that brought together older adults, caregivers, family members and service providers to learn about low- cost and no-cost services avail- able for aging-in-place. “We know there is a definite need for additional affordable housing for older adults,” says Ms. Shar- ma. To receive the Age-Friendly Englewood newsletter, call 201- 591-5162 or email agefriend- [email protected]. The website is www.age- friendlyenglewood.org. LIBRARY EVENTS Area residents enjoy a p