At their April 16 meeting, the Cook County Public Health and Human Services Board voted unanimously to join the Age Friendly Communities Network. On Tuesday, June 25 from 10:00 -11:30 a.m., there will be a recognition celebration of the County’s induction to the Age-Friendly Network at the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Studio 21. Community members are welcome to attend.
What is the Age Friendly Initiative? As the population of the U.S. is rapidly aging, the AARP Age-Friendly Initiative is joining global efforts to recognize and support this population-level shift. The goal of the Age-Friendly Initiative is to make communities more inclusive of and responsive to older adults.
The State of Minnesota is committed to the Age-Friendly Initiative. Since 2019 it has invested $2.9 million in grants to help make the state a better place to grow older. In 2023 Cook County received one of these grants to better understand the needs and experiences of aging in our communities.
What have we done so far? This has been a collaborative project between Cook County Public Health and Human Services and Care Partners. 90 of our neighbors participated in 10 Community Listening Sessions across the county and 240 participated in an Age Friendly Community Survey to help assess our strengths and needs as well as inform our direction for future age friendly work.
We learned that the areas of housing, transportation, and access to healthcare are top priorities for aging adults in Cook County. By joining the Age-Friendly Communities Network, we are committing ourselves to develop an action plan that addresses these areas.
We are also committing ourselves to considering policies, programs, and other initiatives from an “age-friendly” perspective. In other words, we are asking ourselves how our work affects older adults and how we are involving older adults in decision-making.
You are invited to celebrate and learn more about the Age-Friendly Community Initiative at a celebration that we are hosting a on Tuesday, June 25 from 10:00 -11:30 a.m. at the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Studio 21, which is located at 21 W Hwy 61, Grand Marais. The AARP and the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging will formally welcome us into the Age-Friendly Network at this event. We will share our findings from the survey and listening sessions, as well as our next steps. The public is welcome to attend, and we will be reaching out to everyone who has already participated in our engagement efforts to join us at the event.
If you would like more information on the Age-Friendly Initiative in Cook County, contact Grace Grinager, Public Health Supervisor at grace.grinager@co.cook.mn.us or Julie Wilson, Care Partners of Cook County at julie@carepartnersofcookcounty.org. Additional information is available on the Care Partners website: https://carepartnersofcookcounty.org/.
About Cook County, MN. Cook County encompasses the sovereign nation of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; the City of Grand Marais; the Townships of Lutsen, Tofte and Schroeder; and unincorporated areas in the easternmost part of Minnesota’s North Shore. Cook County Government values transparency and strives to deliver superior services and programs in a fiscally responsible way. We value the dignity of all County residents and seek to create a community that provides opportunity for all. Many of our offices are in the Cook County Courthouse at 411 W 2nd St, Grand Marais 55604. Other departments and facilities, such as the Airport, Community Center, Highway and Sheriff are located nearby. Call 218-387-3000 or visit: https://co.cook.mn.us