Martha’s Vineyard is now a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities. According to a press release, in a brief ceremony at the Tabernacle last Thursday, Jo Ann Jenkins, chief executive officer of AARP and recent author of “Disrupt Aging,” presented the certificate of membership to Paddy Moore, chairman of Healthy Aging-Martha’s Vineyard (HA-MV).
The AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities is an affiliate of the World Health Organization’s Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, an international effort launched in 2006 to help cities prepare for their own and the world’s growing population of older adults and the parallel trend of urbanization.
All six Vineyard towns collaborated with HA-MV in the development and application for the membership.
According to the release, the mission of HA-MV is to create an aging-friendly Island, meeting the needs of the growing 65-plus population and those who care for them. HA-MV educates the community and develops approaches and incubating programs to improve services and facilities for Island elders. Through a community-wide planning process, HA-MV works to engage stakeholders, foster collaborative programs, and fill service gaps.
The press release states that the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts projects that the over-65 Island population will grow 134 percent between 2010 and 2030. Dukes County has been the fastest-growing county in Massachusetts for last 20 years, as many boomers move to the Island and many seasonal residents retire here. Statistics indicate that in 2010, one in every six Islanders was 65 or older; in 2030, the release says, this will be one in three.
For more information, visit aarp.org/livable.
