L.A. Wants to Be the Age-Friendliest U.S. City: How's It Going?

The older adult population in the Los Angeles area is larger than in 41 states, and between 2010 and 2030, its population of people over 65 is expected to nearly double to 18 percent, from 1.1 million to 2.1 million. About two years ago, the leaders of Los Angeles and L.A. County unveiled Purposeful Aging Los Angeles, a plan to make the city "the most age-friendly" place in the world, reports Next Avenue . The Purposeful Aging Los Angeles team received 14,105 responses to a survey of residents 18 and older and local government staffers identifying community priorities. It held "listening sessions" led by AARP and two Older Adult Summits; recruited research scientists to analyze data; convened community leaders and experts; created a task force to prevent and respond to wandering by residents with memory-related impairments; and launched the Dementia Friends USA campaign as well as the Aging Mastery Program to engage older adults in their communities. Recently, Purposeful Aging Los Angeles released a 104-page report laying out an action plan based on its learnings, with 34 recommendations to start turning the idea into reality between now and 2021.