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About Age-Friendly Maple Grove

Age-Friendly Maple Grove is a community-driven, city-sponsored initiative to make Maple Grove a better place to grow older.

In 2016 the City of Maple Grove joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, part of the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities program. Member cities & counties (see the list here) include 14 in Minnesota, more more than 625 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.”

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.

Age-Friendly Maple Grove 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. Its Leadership Team is comprised of city staff, community volunteers, and representatives from health care, senior housing, nonprofit community organizations, home health care service providers, and others.

Age-Friendly Maple Grove recently wrapped up official implementation of its first three-year action plan to address priorities that were identified by a community assessment of needs conducted in 2016-2017. Guided by this plan, Age-Friendly Maple Grove leaders and community partners took on a wide range of efforts to help older residents remain vital, connected and autonomous. These efforts involved programs and services, the physical environment, city policies and plans, and overall greater integration of older adult considerations into business as usual.

AF MG commenced its second community needs assessment in January 2022. Findings from that assessment will inform development of a second action plan, which will be completed by the end of 2023. 

Learn more:

Leadership Team

The Leadership Team meets monthly, generally the second Friday of each month, 8:30am-10:00am at the Maple Grove Community Center.* Community members or other interested stakeholders are always welcome to attend.

*Meetings are being held virtually until further notice due to Covid-19. To join a virtual meeting, please email efaust@maplegrovemn.gov.

Members

Sarah Adams, Trellis
Patty Anderson, Resident
Jennifer Bauernfeind, Comfort Keepers
Jim Betzold, Resident; Maple Grove Rotary
Tim Conaway, Resident; Maple Grove Lions
Caitlin Enright, BeeHive Homes of Maple Grove
Liz Faust, 55 Forward Supervisor, City of Maple Grove (Chair, Age-Friendly Maple Grove)
Deane Gradous, Resident
Goytree Hakim, Resident
Joe Hogeboom, Community Development Director, City of Maple Grove
Kristy Janigo, Councilmember, City of Maple Grove
Marie Maslowski, Resident
Carmen Mazzuchella, Resident
Carrie McLachlan, North Memorial Health System
Lydia Morken, Morken Consulting
Giannina Posner, Three Rivers Park District
Heidi Schneider, SilverCreek on Main
Chuck Schwalbe, Resident
Pat Schwalbe, CROSS Services
Kelly Swanson, Resident; MHealth Fairview Maple Grove Clinics
Cheryl Nelson Theuninck, Resident; United Health Group
Jane Warren, Resident

Subcommittees

AF-MG currently has four active subcommittees:

  1. Transportation

  2. Housing

  3. Social and Civic Participation/Inclusion

  4. Community Support and Health Services

The subcommittees lead the initiative’s formal efforts to implement the action items from their domain in the Action Plan. Major tasks include:

  •       Implementing action items according to timeline indicated in plan

  •       Presenting progress report at each monthly meeting.

  •       Working with other subcommittees as needed.

  •       Developing budgets on an annual basis. 

 
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