MANCHESTER – The Ocean County Office of Senior Services recently showcased an important new program through a forum held at the Somebody Cares office in the Whiting section of the township.
Ocean County Office of Senior Services Director Maria La Face explained, “we received a grant from the state to develop an Age-Friendly Ocean County plan. As part of our Age-Friendly Ocean County Initiative we are required to hold several small town halls to engage seniors in the process and obtain feedback on what they see as the priority needs and gaps in service.”
“The purpose of the town halls is to hear directly from our seniors what their concerns are, what services they need to remain independent, active and engaged in their communities,” La Face added.
She noted, “we will use the information they provide to develop a five-year plan to improve the quality of life for seniors and make Ocean County age friendly. This event at Somebody Cares is the first town hall we are conducting.”
“As an area agency on aging, we see every day how the design of our neighborhoods, the availability of services, and the strength of social connections all influence how well we age. The Age Friendly Initiative is about more than just serving older adults; it’s about building a community where people of all ages can feel connected, valued and supported,” La Face told The Manchester Times.
She added, “this initiative gives us the chance to take a thoughtful look at how we design public spaces, deliver services, and plan for the future. It means considering everything from safe transportation and accessible housing to volunteer opportunities, lifelong learning, and intergenerational engagement.”
“In doing so, we make our community not only a better place for older adults, but a better place for everyone. Our hope through this initiative is to listen, learn and partner with you. We want to build on what’s working, identify where gaps remain and create a shared vision for what an inclusive, livable community looks like here,” the director added.
The speaker at the forum, which drew around 40 seniors, was Dr. Kathleen Cullinen who conducts health sciences programming for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Ocean County. She is also a township resident.
She noted “this is the second-highest percentage of adults 65 and older in New Jersey, at 22.8% of the population. As a result, our Family and Community Health Sciences programming is designed to address the changing needs of older adults in Ocean County through age-friendly initiatives to support healthy aging in place, chronic disease prevention and control, and comprehensive well-being among older adults through community-based outreach, education, and research.”
Cullinen showed a short video presentation to the audience concerning the initiative that described how residents in Ocean County would be interviewed and would include the needs of those with disabilities and support for caregivers. She said there are 93 senior communities within the county.
“Ocean County is the third county in the state of New Jersey that did achieve Age Friendly designation. Our commissioners passed a resolution that made a commitment to make Ocean County Age Friendly. New Jersey is the 13th state to receive the Age Friendly designation and the United States as a whole is part of global network of Age Friendly states and communities so we are a little piece of a very big very important part of the initiative,” she added.
Cullinen said, “we have the largest veterans’ population in the state and Manchester is the number one municipality in Ocean County for the oldest population.”
Her colleague Stephen Wilson, a staff member in the Operation Homeplate / NJ SNAP Benefits Unit for the Ocean County Senior Services department thanked Somebody Cares for hosting the event. “I think this is a great starting point for the initiative to see where we will go with it and to get everyone’s feedback in Ocean County to see what everybody needs.”
“We are all getting older, we are living longer and it is not so much that we want to add years to our lives – we want to add live to those years and part of that is living as independently as possible,” Cullinen said.
A community action plan will be developed to support services and address any gaps. The plan will focus on essential areas such as housing, transportation, healthcare, food security, caregiving and social connections. The goal is to enable older adults to stay independent, connected, and healthy as they age.
The initiative aligns with the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, focusing on creating a more livable, accessible environment for the county’s significant senior population. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age.
Present at the forum was Ocean County Commissioner and former Manchester Mayor Robert Arace. It was noted that he serves as liaison to Ocean Ride, the Veterans Services Bureau and Senior Services.
Somebody Cares leader Patricia Donahue; Judy Noonan, confidential aide to Mayor Joseph Hankins and resident Gail Apgar each urged residents who reside in Home Owner Association operated communities to be aware of their bylaws and contracts that their association operates under. Noonan stressed “read your bylaws. Learn your responsibilities.”
Attendees enjoyed a free lunch with beverages and dessert and left with a number of free items provided by the Ocean County Office of Senior Services. For more details on the initiative and to enroll for informational e-mails visit oceancountyagefriendly.org The promotional video can be found on Youtube at youtube.com/watch?v=39dY-90Uf8E
