Cleveland wants to become friendlier to aging citizens, here’s their plan

In late May, the City of Cleveland launched its Age-Friendly Cleveland 2025-2028 Action Plan, a roadmap that was created in collaboration with multiple city departments and community organizations. 

Spearheaded by the Cleveland Department of Aging, the plan is designed to reform outdoor spaces, civic participation, public transportation, emergency preparedness and community support and health services to make the city more accessible to senior residents by 2028.

Since becoming the first city in Ohio to join the AARP and World Health Organization’s (WHO) age-friendly network in 2014, Director of Cleveland’s Department of Aging Mary McNamara said the city has experienced a population “boom” of residents over the age of 60. 

“This isn’t a Cleveland issue. This isn’t an Ohio issue or a California issue,” McNamara said. “This is happening in many places all over the world.”

This “age-wave” means there are more people over the age of 60 than under the age of 18 in communities. This shift in population, McNamara said, is what spurred Cleveland’s commitment to becoming age-friendly. 

“Older adults, because they’re living longer lives, they may have more needs,” McNamara said. “And we want to address those issues.”

The Action Plan was formally released May 22, at the city’s Senior Day celebration. 

“Our seniors are the backbone of Cleveland’s rich history and vibrant community,” said Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “The Age-Friendly Action Plan is our commitment to ensuring that as our residents age, they continue to thrive in a city that supports their needs and celebrates their contributions.”

The plan aims to address what the Department of Aging identified as age-friendly domains of liability: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information , community support and health services and sustainability and emergency preparedness. 

The Department of Aging relied heavily on community support and feedback to identify what areas the plan needed to address, McNamara said.

“We mailed out a paper survey to more than a thousand participants here at the department of aging, as well as other participants in the community,” she said. “Another way we got it was we had a senior task force. Members of the taskforce helped shape some proposed strategies and tactics.”

The Department of Aging also held focus groups to gain community input, in conjunction with the Hispanic Senior Center, Asian Services in Action, the Rainbow Pioneers and L.E.A.P. agency.

Accessibility and infrastructure, such as walkable sidewalks were top concerns, McNamara said, as well as affordable housing and access to transportation.

“We heard a lot of storytelling of the impact of people being without power after last summer’s  extreme weather issue,” McNamara said. “Anytime we have a weather issue like that, it really raises up the needs of people who are relying on oxygen 24/7, homebound. All the challenges that come with having less mobility.”

Other concerns voiced by community members include violence prevention and what McNamara called “fostering intergenerational connection.”

“People talked about wanting to be more engaged with younger people, but not always having opportunities,” she said.

The release of this plan comes just months after President Trump withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), the global organization that helped begin the age-friendly movement. 

“The population is growing, and what we see across the country is the funding is either stable or decreasing for services,” McNamara said.

While McNamara said Cleveland doesn’t receive funding from the WHO or AARP, funding cuts to programs that affect older adults are causes for alarm.

“Any funding cuts that affect older adults will affect their ability to age in-place, so we are concerned about changes to Medicaid,” she said. “Access to healthcare is a key domain, funding for transportation resources. ”

For more information on the plan, visit this link.