Senior Services Commission Chair Terry Black presented an annual update to the Lafayette City Council during its Dec. 8 meeting, thanking the council for adopting the Age Friendly Action Plan in February 2025, which consisted of nine domains, 35 goals, and over 200 action items. 

    The plan intends to improve livability for all older adults and persons of all ages in the Lafayette community. Because the scope of this project is too large for the city and commission to handle by themselves, the commission created a “Call to Action,” inviting all community stakeholders to review the Age Friendly Action Plan Goals and Action Items and contribute to accomplishing the identified goals and action items.

    The commission gave additional updates on each of the nine domains, starting with Outdoor Spaces and Buildings. The commission worked with groups such as the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission and created programs such as reservoir walking groups to keep older adults engaged with outdoor spaces.

    “The impact of this shows expanded opportunities for safe, outdoor activity, social engagement, and physical mobility for older adults, while strengthening community presence in the local parks and outdoor spaces,” Black said.

    Lamorinda Spirit Van Coordinator Riki Juster then presented the Transportation and Housing domains. Juster reported that the Spirit Van is offering more rides to seniors than ever before, attributing the growth to their collaboration with Lamorinda Village and the classes and events they offer. 

    After Juster presented the Housing domain, Senior Services Coordinator Molly Cohen discussed Social Participation, Respect and Social Inclusion, and Work and Civic Engagement.

    “Social participation opportunities have increased, thanks to the existing programs we’ve had and new offerings that we have partnering with Lamorinda Village,” Cohen said. “These activities occur at the community center, at the library, on Zoom, and in local businesses.” 

    Commissioner Carol Federighi explained how the Communication and Information domain is an ongoing area of focus of the commission, as they work to create age friendly content for the city’s online newsletter, the Weekly Roundup. Federighi also discussed the popularity of wellness classes and how the commission is looking for more ways to connect seniors with resources as part of the Community and Health Services domain. Finally, Commissioner Dorothy Walker presented a bonus domain, Emergency Preparedness, which offered a series of classes in collaboration with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Police Department, and Emergency Preparedness Commission.

    To end their presentation, the Senior Services Commission discussed their two-year collaboration with Lamorinda Village, funded by the City Council, and the effectiveness of all the community volunteers.

    “Many of the city’s commission and committee members are retired professionals utilizing their professional and learned experiences to improve the city,” Cohen said. Interested volunteers are encouraged to review commission openings on the city website. The commission is in the early stages of putting together a volunteer fair, which is an opportunity for nonprofits and organizations to connect with volunteers that are looking for ways to help the community, Cohen said.

    For more information on the Age Friendly Action Plan, visit www.lovelafayette.org/agefriendly.