Age-Friendly movements have been launched in four new northern New Jersey towns, and like the other communities encompassed by our regional collaborative, each represents disparate patches of the diverse quilt that is New Jersey.
Fair Lawn, is a Bergen County borough of roughly 32,000 people known for its distinctive neighborhoods, including the unincorporated Radburn neighborhood, one of the country’s first planned communities.
Livingston is an Essex County township of nearly 30,000 people, a sparsely developed suburb named after New Jersey’s first governor and home to St. Barnabas Medical Center, one of the oldest and largest hospitals in New Jersey.
New Providence is a small, wooded borough of nearly 12,000 people located in northwest Union County, along the Passaic River and between two ridges of the Watchung Mountains, a region settled by Puritans 300 years ago.
Wayne, the biggest of the four, is a sprawling 24-square-mile township of 55,000 people, a hub of major highways, lake communities, regional malls, and a university – and now the first Passaic County town to join the network of New Jersey age-friendly communities.
These four towns – with their varied landscapes, histories and systems of government – are alike in two important ways: Their populations are aging, and their government and civic leaders recognize the importance of using an age-friendly lens to plan for the future.
From L to R, Patricia Jacobs, Bill Hoefling and Tom Montrone unfurl a new banner for New Providence, Our Community for All
“I believe very strongly that making Fair Lawn age-friendly will not only benefit our aging population but will also make our town more desirable overall,” said Fair Lawn Councilwoman Cristina Cutrone, who helped spur the launch of a borough-led initiative now known as Fair Lawn for All Ages.
The Boro of Fair Lawn was awarded funding from The Henry & Marilyn Taub Foundation early this year and has a Facebook page and a newly hired coordinator – Lisa MacClements, a lifelong Fair Lawn resident whose role as business manager of Meals on Wheels North Jersey has given her a window on the needs of the homebound senior population.
Work on developing a community-wide survey of Fair Lawn older adults had already begun in early March when the pandemic forced the shut down of older adult programs and businesses across the region.
These four towns – with their varied landscapes, histories and systems of government – are alike in two important ways: Their populations are aging, and their government and civic leaders recognize the importance of using an age-friendly lens to plan for the future.
All of the new communities revised their initial plans and timelines – as they hurried to join other community leaders in responding to the dire circumstances many older adults faced as the virus spread and vital services were interrupted.
But even as COVID19 created new problems and exacerbated old ones, New Jersey’s quarantine orders did help bring new attention to the social isolation concerns of older adults who don’t drive or live alone.
“Certainly, things have gotten much worse for a lot of people, and we’re seeing that reflected in our survey responses,” said Patricia Jacobs, the new executive director of New Providence – Our Community for All.
The initiative is being led by the Economic Development and Community Enhancement Committee of the Borough of New Providence and received funding from The Grotta Fund for Senior Care. In addition to its ongoing survey, the New Providence group responded to the pandemic by organizing volunteers to provide free grocery shopping and sending print mailings to older adults without Internet connections. To increase social connectedness and civic engagement, which are key age-friendly priorities that can help reduce isolation and improve quality of life, the group is also helping lead some new intergenerational community projects -an oral history collection effort and a collaboration with local Girl Scouts on commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the settling of New Providence.
As part of launching their new initiatives, leaders of all four age-friendly organizations are or will soon conduct surveys to help them develop localized age-friendly strategies.
“We went into a different mode altogether after COVID,” said Liliana Branquinho, Senior & Adult Enrichment and Special Events Supervisor for the Township of Livingston.
Branquinho, along with Jennifer Walker, director of Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services, will lead the Township’s age-friendly efforts. But in recent months, much of the focus necessarily shifted to connecting older adults with grocery shopping assistance and alternative transportation in addition to trying to keep quarantining older residents engaged by launching Zoom adult and Senior fitness classes online after in-person classes had to be cancelled.
Wayne kicked off its age-friendly mission this spring by applying and being accepted into the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities.
The effort was supported by Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano and is being shepherded by Rosemary Acampora, the Township’s Senior and Social Services coordinator, and Robyn Kohn, a Wayne resident and director of programs and services for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey chapter.The two leaders plan in September to begin recruiting members to join an Age-Friendly Committee.
“With the strong foundation we currently have in the Township, along with the Mayor and Administration’s support, I believe we will attract a dynamic group to join the Age-Friendly Committee, Acampora said. “We will be reaching out to Wayne residents, 45 and older, in the coming months to complete surveys and to become involved in this exciting endeavor.”
With the addition of these four new community initiatives, the network now encompasses 16 communities in five counties – Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Union – which together have a population of more than a half million people.
While the Wayne effort is still in the preliminary planning stage, and not yet a grant-funded initiative, the two Wayne leaders have begun joining meetings of the North Jersey age-friendly network and participating in discussions about how age-friendly programs and strategies could be used to assist older adults in this time of crisis.
With the addition of these four new community initiatives, the network now encompasses 16 communities in five counties – Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Union – which together have a population of more than a half million people.
Most of the community projects were seeded with funding from The Taub Foundation and Grotta Fund, which have together committed nearly $3 million to establish this growing alliance, whose members meet monthly and also work in partnership with Rutgers University, New Jersey Future, the New Jersey Foundation for Aging and AARP New Jersey.
“We are working to create places where every demographic group and every individual resident has equal access to an enriched life in their communities as they age,” said Julia Stoumbos, director of aging-in-place programs for The Taub Foundation. “It is encouraging to see the diversity of residents within the network of communities now working together to identify and address the challenges that have been magnified by the pandemic and its associated restrictions.”
Members of the North Jersey network, along with representatives of four new towns, have been meeting regularly via Zoom to share ideas on how to help older adults through the COVID19 crisis
The age-friendly movement was first envisioned by the World Health Organization in 2005 as a way to find local strategies to prepare for the global challenges and opportunities of an aging population. Our network members work to promote affordable housing choices, safe and inviting outdoor spaces, and access to social and physical activities for all residents – throughout their lifespan, and even at times of crisis like we’re experiencing now.
“The critical aim at this time is for every older adult resident’s voice to be included,” Stoumbos said. “That’s why all of the network members are aiming for a high response rate to the short surveys they have created.”
Both The Taub Foundation and Grotta Fund have extensive review processes before agreeing to fund an age-friendly project, which include requiring endorsements and pledges of participation from key community leaders, organizations and residents.
“These communities have demonstrated a firm commitment to becoming age-friendly,” said Renie Carniol, director of Grotta Fund. “We’re thrilled to welcome them to our age-friendly movement in New Jersey, which we are confident will continue to grow and expand.”