City of South Bend presents an 'Age-Friendly Plan' to better service elderly in the community

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The City of South Bend is looking to make life smoother for aging adults.

The City, partnering with the non-profit 'REAL Services', and presenting what they call an "age-friendly plan" tonight at the Portage Commons Senior Enrichment Center.

Kj Mapes, the President and CEO of REAL Services, stating, “Saint Joseph County already has hit the point where we have more older adults than all children under the age of 18 and so, we’re going to need to think about that not just in the broader sense, communities are going to have to think about it from the workplace standpoint.”

Mapes goes on to say the plan is a Roadmap, with the goal of making the community more livable for aging residents, focusing on taking action in eight different domains of livability.

The plan isn't set in stone yet, with funding needing to be secured, and they are still looking to get feedback on refining the final draft.

“That’s really important as the population ages, that we have more methods by which people can stay engaged longer in the community, whether that’s being able to get to senior center, get to a food site, food pantry, or just to visit their grandkids and be engaged,” said Mapes.

They tell ABC57 it's voluntary for communities to take on an age-focused initiative, with South Bend being one of only four in Indiana.