AARP Age-Friendly Community

Lafayette City Council Adopts Age Friendly Action Plan

The Lafayette City Council officially adopted the Senior Service Commission’s Age Friendly Action Plan on February 24, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the City's commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for older adults.

The Age Friendly Action Plan is now available to the public, and all interested stakeholders are invited to explore opportunities to help make Lafayette a more age-friendly community.

• Read the adopted Lafayette Age Friendly Action Plan
• Read the First Year Implementation Strategies
• Watch the Senior Services Commission’s Presentation to the City Council on February 24, 2025 (Link opens video on YouTube)

Stakeholders—including local nonprofits, businesses, service organizations, and residents—are encouraged to review the plan and identify action items they can contribute to, complementing the City’s ongoing efforts. To get involved with achieving the goals of the plan, please email us at seniors@lovelafayette.org.

At their meeting, the City Council members thanked the Senior Services Commission for their dedication in developing the plan, which was informed by extensive community engagement and needs assessments. They emphasized that while the City will take the lead on some initiatives, successful implementation will require the active participation of community stakeholders. Among the existing stakeholder partners recognized by staff were Lamorinda Village, the Community Foundation of Lafayette, Lafayette Juniors, Rotary Clubs, the Lamorinda Art Council, Lafayette Library and Learning Center, All Ages Recreation Downtown, Lafayette Chamber, and local schools.

Additionally, the Council underscored the importance of securing outside funding—including grants and private donations—to support the plan’s initiatives, particularly those focused on senior transportation.

The City of Lafayette’s Age Friendly Plan focuses on the following 9 domains to create a livable community that will allow the full inclusion and participation of residents of ALL AGES & ABILITIES. Domains 1 through 8 come from AARP’s national program, while the Senior Services Commission added the additional 9^th domain to specifically address the importance of emergency preparedness:  

1. Outdoor Spaces and Buildings: People need public places to gather — indoors and out. Green spaces, safe streets, sidewalks, outdoor seating and accessible buildings can be used and enjoyed by people of all ages. (think elevators, stairs with railings, etc.)
2. Transportation: Driving shouldn't be the only way to get around. Public transit options can be as expansive and as infrastructure dependent as a train system or as targeted as a taxi service that provides non-drivers with rides to and from a doctor's office. 
3. Housing: Most people want to remain in their own home and community as they age. Doing so is possible if housing is designed or modified for aging in place and a community has affordable housing options for varying life stages.
4. Social Participation: Regardless of a person's age, loneliness is often as debilitating a health condition as having a chronic illness or disease.  Sadness and isolation can be combatted by the availability of accessible, affordable and fun social activities.
5. Respect and Social Inclusion: Everyone wants to feel valued. Intergenerational activities are a great way for young and old to learn from one another, honor what each has to offer and, at the same time, feel good about themselves.
6. Work & Civic Engagement: Why does work need to be an all or nothing experience? An age-friendly community provides ways older people can continue to work for pay, volunteer their skills and be actively engaged in community life. (If they choose)
7. Communication and Information: Age-friendly communities recognize that not everyone has a smartphone or Internet access and that information needs to be disseminated through a variety of means.
8. Community and Health Services: At some point, every person of every age gets hurt, becomes ill or simply needs some help. While it's important that care be available nearby, it's essential that residents are able to access and afford the services required.
9. Emergency Preparedness (Bonus Domain): The Lafayette Senior Service Commission felt it was very important to add emergency preparedness to the AARP 8 Domains.  It is important for individuals, families and neighbors to have a plans in place for various potential emergencies. 

In 2019, Lafayette joined the network of AARP/World Health Organization Age-Friendly Communities.

Since then, the Senior Service Commission developed the Plan through extensive community engagement, including townhall and focus group meetings, the plan is structured around nine Domains of Livability, addressing key areas such as transportation, housing, health services, social inclusion, and emergency preparedness. It aims to make Lafayette a more accessible, inclusive, and supportive community for aging residents. Read the Lamorinda Weekly 2019 article about the official kickoff!

While ambitious in scope, the plan’s First Year Implementation Plan focuses on low-cost and volunteer-driven initiatives, leveraging partnerships with nonprofits, businesses, and local organizations to maximize impact while considering the City’s financial constraints. The Commission also emphasizes annual reviews to ensure priorities align with evolving community needs.

To further engage residents and stakeholders, the full Age Friendly Goals and Action Items will be publicly posted, along with a Call to Action encouraging local businesses, organizations, and volunteers to contribute to the initiative. For more information, contact the Senior Services staff.