Two towns launch survey to improve life for seniors

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The village of South Orange and the township of Maplewood will be conducting a survey to gain feedback that will inform the development of an Age-Friendly Community Action Plan. The survey is part of an assessment of needs for adults older than 60 and is funded by the Grotta Fund for Senior Care. Over the coming month, the two towns will be conducting the survey online and going out into the community to talk to a wide representation of older adults from diverse neighborhoods, ethnicities, income levels, ages and more with a goal of surveying between 400 and 750 adults ages 60 and older. This grassroots effort will help the initiative reach individuals whose voices may not always be heard.

An age-friendly community is one where policies, services and structures related to the physical and social environments are designed to support and enable older people to live in a secure environment, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in their communities, according to a joint release from the two towns. The three-year Community Action Plan will identify age-friendly features, barriers and suggestions for improvement, and will serve as a template for collaborative planning to address the needs of the area’s growing senior population.

The survey questions will take most people approximately 15 minutes to complete, depending on how much they have to say. All responses are confidential.

The survey is available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SOMA-AgeFriendlySurvey.

Hard copies will be available at the Maplewood and South Orange municipal offices, libraries, senior centers and other facilities.

When completed, if not completed online, the surveys can be returned to South Orange Village Hall or Maplewood Town Hall.

The survey will close on May 2.

For more information, contact Maplewood’s Annette DePalma at 973-762-8120, ext. 3400, or South Orange’s Cathy Cameron at 973-378-7715, ext. 2.

  Grotta Fund, Senior Citizens