San Mateo County working to become age-friendly

A host of new programs and projects aiming to ease aging and increase quality of life for the Peninsula’s growing elderly population are headed to the Peninsula, with plans for San Mateo County to gain the AARP’s “age-friendly” status.

Several cities in the county have already been granted the designation, pledging to identify local needs and begin work to fund and implement projects, which could include infrastructure upgrades to improve accessibility, housing, civic participation programing or health services.

“There are many benefits of having age-friendly cities,” said Ann O’Brien Keighran, a strategic alliance lead with the Center for Age Friendly Excellence and a Burlingame councilmember. “It definitely contributes to economic, social, cultural life in a community.”

The county granted $347,000 to jump-start work in Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, Redwood City, San Carlos and San Mateo, which all earned the age friendly designation in recent years. Another $500,000 from the county will go to the remaining cities.

The process entails forming a task force in each city to work with focus groups of community members to make recommendations. Three or four inaugural projects are then selected and sent to the AARP which determines eligibility for the designation.

Some projects already implemented include a laptop-lending program with training and free community Wi-Fi in Daly City. The city also established a resource line, telehealth checks and a pen pal program connecting seniors and young people to address isolation issues.

Pacifica created a program aiding older adults in applying for subsidized housing, building accessory dwelling units, aging in-place and multigenerational housing options. Redwood City is organizing a senior social club, along with events where youth volunteers can help seniors learn to use digital devices.

Several cities on the Peninsula have established a subsidized shuttle service through the county and Caltrans-funded Got Wheels program that provides affordable transportation to people 70 and older.

Keighran said the pandemic has increased social isolation and loneliness, which contributes to mental and physical illness.

“We’ve really seen a lot of that in the last couple years … where older adults were restricted in their homes,” she said. “It’s important to have social activities and recreation resources available and also cultural and intergenerational opportunities.”

The county’s senior population is projected to expand considerably in coming years, with people 65 and older estimated to account for 30% of residents by 2030, according to Sustainable San Mateo County. The national population of people 65 and older meanwhile is on track to increase by 50% from 2016’s figures by 2030, and by 2060 a quarter of the population will be at least 65 years old, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“We have a growing population of seniors in our city,” said Anders Fung, a councilmember in Millbrae, which along with Belmont and San Bruno is slated to become certified this year. “It’s absolutely critical that we do everything we can to help those who have given us so much.”

Keighran said city’s receiving the certification for their efforts make a five-year commitment, with continued yearly evaluation afterward. Action plans must be developed within two years of certification.

Santa Clara County recently certified all of its cities, and worldwide more than 1,100 cities are certified. The certification was previously granted by the World Health Organization, but the AARP took over amid the pandemic.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

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