Monroe County becomes ‘age-friendly community’ as population gets older

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Monroe County is now an “age-friendly community”. The county got the designation from AARP as the county’s percentage of residents who are 60 or older has risen to 25% for the first time.

The designation also comes the county and the city have taken on projects to become more inclusive to older adults. That includes opening the city’s first new Senior Nutrition Program in over a decade and making park facilities more accessible. It also includes building pickle ball courts in county parks
and hosting digital literacy classes.

The county’s population of people 60 or older is expected to increase from 192,000 right now to 215,000 by the year 2030. The suburbs are seeing the largest increase, with 82% of county residents 65 or older living in towns as opposed to the city.

One way the county is preparing is through a plan called Creating a Community for a Lifetime, developed in partnership with the Monroe County Aging Alliance. It seeks to encourage government agencies, non-profits, and funders to work together to make the county more welcoming to older adults.

Back in 2021, The Monroe County Aging Alliance surveyed older residents to develop recommendations to improve inclusion, housing, transportation, outdoor spaces, social participation, employment, volunteering, health, economic security, and more.

The alliance is a joint initiative between the Rochester Area Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes.