What Big Business Can Learn from Age-Friendly Communities

Since 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) has ambitiously and wisely designated certain cities and counties around the world as worthy of belonging to its Global Network of Age-Friendly Communities and Cities. The network offers a research-based blueprint or roadmap for cities and countries to follow, something many places have done. WHO leadership believed that two global trends in particular -- aging and urbanization -- had to be formally addressed lest millions of lives be negatively affected over the next few decades. Through its network, communities have the very real opportunity to, as the saying goes, "Think globally, act locally."

Within the United States, WHO's effort is led by AARP, the country's leading advocate for the aging population. Since 2012, hundreds of American cities and counties have applied to AARP's Age-Friendly Network in order to be recognized as age friendly. Included in each application is an outline of what steps will be taken to make their community a more attractive place for older people to live (or just visit). Enlisting in the program is a five-year commitment that begins with assessing the needs of older residents (50-plus), forming a plan, putting it in place and then determining how well it works.

The Growing Age Friendly Community Movement

Rather than be considered an end, however, a community being designated as age friendly is more the beginning. Membership in the network means elected officials have made the commitment to actively work towards making their community a good place for people of all ages, not that the town, city, county, or state is currently age friendly or a good place to retire. In that sense, the network is aspirational -- a philosophy that contrasts the stringent outcome-based approach to which most local governments adhere. Even better, initiatives begun in a municipality often spread throughout a county like kudzu, with entire states recently jumping on board as governors see the demographic writing on the wall.

Joining the growing movement, which includes all shapes and sizes of communities, including rural areas, takes some doing. There are eight areas or domains to consider when seeking the AARP Network's designation: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, and community and health services.

The range of questions for applicants to ask themselves is rather mind-boggling, combining the macro and the micro. Is there enough affordable housing? If not, do zoning laws have to be changed? Can older people easily navigate the public parks? Are there holding bars in public bathrooms? Are there benches along heavily walked sidewalks or nature trails? Is there enough public transportation? Are there enough taxis and Ubers? Do the "Walk" signs blink long enough for everyone to get across wider streets? Most important, would people want to grow old here?

The Heart and Soul of the Age Friendly Proposition

While communities are expending much effort and significant resources to redesign and improve their built environment and broaden their portfolio of services -- a massive undertaking that is costing billions of dollars and innumerable person hours -- the same cannot be said of Big Business. Large corporations are making virtually no effort to extend such a welcome to older people; in fact, they are making a concerted effort to exclude them as workers, consumers and citizens, seeing little or no value in making them part of their respective organizations' mission and everyday practices.

How could one group of people see things so differently from another group of people, even when some of them are the same people? Some of those taking part in age-friendly community programs no doubt work for local companies that are pursuing age-unfriendly policies -- in other words, making this paradox yet more incomprehensible. A manager helping rake the leaves on the front lawn of a senior citizen may the very next day toss out the resume of an older job applicant because of his or her age, a truly schizophrenic scenario.

The flourishing of age-friendly communities across the country and world shows that despite the many obstacles this can be done. Incentivized by both civic responsibility and economic considerations, communities of all stripes are eagerly courting older residents and exerting great effort to attract and retain them. A healthy community is a diverse one, local leaders understand, making a multigenerational population a much sought-after goal. Small towns and big cities are thinking globally and acting locally -- the heart and soul of the age-friendly proposition.

Bridging the Gap Between the Public and Private Arenas

Rather than just talk about inclusiveness, then, communities are demonstrating it in many different ways, even if it means tearing up sidewalks or spending money for more benches in the public parks. This is America at its best, doing what it takes to make life better for all the people -- even if they are heavily financially motivated. Older people who can afford it like to eat out a lot, keep some of their savings in banks that can be then loaned out, and spend absurd amounts of money on their children and grandchildren. Age-friendly communities serve as hard evidence that older people do not have to be treated with scorn and derision.

If the mayor of a town with a smaller population than the number of employees of a Fortune 1000 corporation gets this, why can't Big Business? Why can't managers within Corporate America, especially those in HR, apply the successful model of age communities to the way they run their organizations? Businesspeople talk a lot about diversity and inclusion but are simply not interested in it regarding age and have admitted so. Less than 10% of D&I initiatives address ageism in the workplace, one survey showed, making the actual number likely even smaller.

Let's find ways to bridge this gap between the public and private arenas to make our age of aging a golden one for everyone.

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