ABOUT US

Age-Friendly Maple Grove is a community-led, city-supported initiative working to make Maple Grove a better place to grow older.

Our fundamental model of society must change. Cities simply haven’t been built, and services developed, with modern lifespans in mind. In Maple Grove, nearly 28% of the population is 55 or older, up from about 11 percent in 2000. Society-wide ageism persists as well, with negative consequences for all of us. Aging is being redefined as we enter this unprecedented era.

In 2016 the City of Maple Grove joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, part of the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities program. Member cities & counties (see the list here) include more than 30 in Minnesota—including Hennepin County—980 in the U.S., and 1,000+ worldwide. The State of Minnesota also joined the network in January 2022. 

As members, we commit to taking steps to become age-friendlier by following this program’s framework. According to WHO, age-friendly cities are places where older adults can “live in security, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in society.”

Age-Friendly Maple Grove (AF MG) launched with the recognition of these profound demographic and cultural shifts and a mission to ensure that older adults are valued, supported and able to contribute to and participate in community life for as long as possible. 

The work of AF MG is led by:

• Steering Committee, which provides overall strategic guidance;
• Community Connectors (formerly the Leadership Team), who meet quarterly to network, learn, and provide input; this group includes city staff, community members, and representatives from health care, senior housing, nonprofit community organizations, home health care service providers, and others; and
• Domain Teams, which work to implement the Action Plan in the areas of Housing, Communications, Social and Civic Participation, etc.