On September 18, Colorado became the third Age Friendly State in the U.S. This recognition from AARP coincided with the announcement of Lifelong Colorado, an initiative that address the challenges of a growing population of older Coloradans. Governor John Hickenlooper noted “Lifelong Colorado demonstrates our commitment to making the necessary improvements and provide appropriate resources to strengthen families and our communities.” As of 2018, 24 Colorado communities were either in AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly Communities or participating in the “Boomer Bond” Initiative through the Denver Regional Council of Governments. A major goal of Lifelong Colorado and the Age Friendly designation is to add at least 100 more communities to that list in five years.
Innovations in Aging Collaborative is thrilled to see the expansion of the Age Friendly initiative into the State of Colorado. The commitment by state officials to Age Friendly will improve Colorado and make sure it is a great place for everyone to live in, whether they are 8 or 80.
We are proud that this new initiative will build on the success of the established Age Friendly Cities in Colorado, including Colorado Springs. Mayor John Suthers pointed out, “Colorado Springs has benefited tremendously from our age-friendly initiative. I am excited to help bring the lessons we’ve learned to the rest of Colorado.” Along with using our lessons learned to benefit Lifelong Colorado, Innovations in Aging is also hopeful this momentum will allow us to advance our local efforts.
