Age-friendly Buncombe County is a big tent that brings together many community collaborations, committees, and working groups, all committed to the vision that older adults in Buncombe county are safe, well and engaged in community.
Age-friendly Buncombe was established in 2017 when the County joined the World Health Organization and AARP’s Network of Age-friendly States and Communities (“the Network”). This global network enables communities striving to better meet the needs of their older residents to exchange ideas and experiences, and to engage in mutual learning. Unlike, for example, the Milken Institute’s “Best Cities for Successful Aging,” joining the Network is not a designation; it is a commitment to a process of continual improvement toward a more age-friendly community.
Currently, there are fourteen committees and working groups affiliated with Age-friendly Buncombe. Together they represent over sixty nonprofit organizations, businesses, governmental departments and other partners, as well as many older adult volunteers. Each functions relatively independent of the others, but through their affiliation with Age-friendly Buncombe, and with the help of a new Advisory Group, they form a collective with a shared vision. This blog serves as a hub for information about Age-friendly Buncombe. If you have not already, please "Follow Age-friendly Buncombe by Email" and each blog post will automatically show up in your inbox!
Below is a brief description of our current committees and working groups. Click on each to learn more.
- Active Aging Center Steering Committee is planning a one-stop, accessible, convenient location with a consumer-focused, welcoming environment for older adults, their families, and caregivers.
- Buncombe Aging Services Alliance (BASA) provides networking, collaboration, advocacy, and education for aging service providers.
- Blue Ridge Pride Generations Plus seeks to enrich the lives of LGBTQIA+ and allied community adults in Western North Carolina who are fifty and over.
- Communities for Older Adult Health focuses on identifying opportunities for Asheville-Buncombe County to facilitate healthy aging and encourage communication among its citizens and leaders in order to determine how to best use these opportunities to improve the health of the entire community.
- Community Transportation Advisory Board assists in the implementation of the Community Transportation Program and the Age-friendly goal of improving older adults’ access to transportation options.
- Dementia Friendly WNC is a group of community members and organizations committed to the well-being of people living with dementia and their families.
- Elder Justice Coalition (EJC) is a community-wide collaboration that includes older adult volunteers and professionals from various disciplines whose mission is to strengthen our community’s capacity to prevent and address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation quickly, effectively, and with respect.
- Experienced Workforce Initiative (EWI) supports and promotes the engagement of adults 50 and over in the volunteer and workforce continuum.
- Family Caregiver Advisory Committee works on a regional level to establish partnerships with caregiver service providers, caregivers, and those who interact with caregivers to leverage resources and improve and expand the available resources/services for caregivers.
- Home and Community Care Block Grant (HCCBG) Advisory Committee makes grant recommendations to the Board of Commissioners regarding allocations of Home and Community Care Block Grant funding and County Aging Services funding.
- Housing Options for Aging in Place (HOAP) is a group of diverse stakeholders across multiple domains working toward a community where older adults have the ability and choice to age in place.
- Social Bridging Project pairs older adults who feel isolated at home with trained student volunteers who can provide a friendly check-in. They also provide training on technology use, and referral to additional resources if needed and desired.
- WNC Broadband Project aims to support communities interested in ensuring access to reliable, truly high-speed internet service, including for older adults.
- WNC Fall Prevention Coalition provides communities with descriptions of collaborative resources--including meetings, events, and a resource list of local providers with the common goal of decreasing fall-related injuries in WNC.
We'll close with a major Thank You to all of our collaborators and committee members! We appreciate all of the important work you are doing.