Age Friendly Colorado Springs

Age Friendly Colorado Springs is a local iteration of a national program through AARP and the World Health Organization. Network membership serves to catalyze innovative approaches to the challenges and opportunities of aging in the Pikes Peak region.

The Age Friendly Colorado Spring movement is built on the partnership between the City of Colorado Springs, AARP Colorado, local nonprofits and businesses, and committed volunteers and funders. Check out the our partner page for a list of our collaborative organizations. 

Click here for more information about the AARP Network of Age Friendly Cities.

Established a local Commission on Aging

This goal was mentioned in multiple domains and we are proud to have the Commission on Aging up and running with meetings on the first Wednesday of every month from 3 to 5 p.m. at Transit Services, 1015 Transit Drive, Conference Room A148.

The purpose of the Commission is to provide ongoing and embedded advocacy for older adults in the municipal government of Colorado Springs; advise the City Council on special issues and opportunities relating to the City’s aging population; make recommendations to the City Council and Mayor during the annual municipal budget process; and review legislation that affects older adults and make recommendations to the City Council and Mayor on positions.

Supported the development and further implementation of Silver Key Senior Outreach Services.

Silver Key has fully adopted and expanded the program that is now called Silver Key Senior Outreach Services (Silver Key SOS)

IIAC worked with Silver Key Senior Services and the UCCS Aging Center to incubate Senior Reach. The program helps adults 60 and older who are demonstrating concerning behaviors before a crisis develops. We accomplished our mission as we handed off the program to Silver Key after a year-long incubation period. The program is now highly successful and is known as Silver Key SOS (Senior Outreach Services).

Create an Age-Friendly Business designation

IIAC worked with the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado to develop the Age Friendly Business Designation. This certification, offered to eligible BBB accredited businesses, evaluates factors that impact the experience of older adults and makes suggestions for improvements. The Age Friendly Business Designation will encourage more businesses to consider the needs of older adults, which will be an economic boon to the businesses and increase the quality of life for elders in our community who require goods and services. Find the Age Friendly Certified Businesses Directory HERE.

If your business is interested in becoming Age Friendly, please contact the Better Business Bureau at  (719) 636-1155 or go to their website.

Innovations in Aging Collaborative (IIAC) is a catalytic non-profit that was founded in 2009 to address the changing age demographics in the Pikes Peak Region. In 2016, when Colorado Springs joined the Network of Age Friendly Cities, Mayor John Suthers delegated the implementation of the Age Friendly project to IIAC. Since then, the Age Friendly Action Plan has become the main strategic priority for IIAC.

1. Outdoor Spaces
2. Transportation
3. Housing
4. Social Participation
5. Community Health and Support
6. Respect and Social Inclusion
7. Civic Participation and Employment
8. Communication and Information

Once Colorado Springs was inducted into the Age-Friendly Network, Innovations in Aging Collaborative undertook community surveys  and convened committees of community members and experts to tackle each of the eight domains of livability.

Eight Domain Committees

The Age-Friendly Steering Committee built a committee for each of the 8 domains of livability by identifying community leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds including city representatives, non-profit leaders, local residents, and active college students to participate in the initiative. Individuals were invited to contribute to the Age-Friendly Action Plan and encouraged to suggest any additional individuals who might provide valuable input. Committee chairs were selected for each domain to help organize meetings and maintain project momentum.

Former City Council President Pro Tem, Jan Martin, acted as the Age Friendly Colorado Springs Facilitator. In this role, she guided conversations at committee meetings and worked to ensure that each committee produced finalized goals that would be impactful and obtainable.

All committees held the same responsibilities:

1. Identify current initiatives in Colorado Springs that make the city age-friendly
2. Pinpoint any gaps in service or available resources that hinder the age-friendliness of Colorado Springs
3. Develop three to five goals with specific action items in order to best address community needs.

Each committee met six to seven times over the course of two months to brainstorm, cultivate, and finalize their individual goals. On May 19, 2016, committee members from every domain gathered to share their individual action plans and to provide input on the identified goals and action items.

Community Assessment

In addition to the work of our domain committees, the Age-Friendly Steering Committee gathered information about the age-friendliness of Colorado Springs by conducting a Community Needs Assessment Survey with local residents. Questions on the survey asked for feedback on all eight domains of livability and included an option to provide additional comments. The survey was made available online, via email, as a website and social media link, and was also disseminated in person at several locations with high levels of senior traffic.

Additionally, the Steering Committee conducted three small focus groups with active senior residents and senior-industry professionals, asking them to provide their input on the finalized Age-Friendly Action Plan. Residents were instructed to evaluate each goal, identify any issues that were not addressed by the action plan, and to help the steering committee prioritize initiatives.