City of San Mateo
Age-Friendly Certification Status: Achieved AARP/World Health Organization (WHO) age-friendly community designation on October 22, 2020. As of March 2023, the City of San Mateo has submitted its Age-Friendly Action Plans to AARP.
Please watch the following video to learn more about the City of San Mateo’s journey to join the WHO/AARP age-friendly network:
The oversight and coordination of the City of San Mateo’s AFC Initiative is done by a sub-committee of their Commission on Senior Affairs.
Domain: Communication and Information
Age-Friendly News Project: The City prepares a monthly bulletin highlighting information of interest to the City’s older residents, such as senior resources and community events. They send it out to more than 50 faith-based, neighborhood, and civic organizations for use in their newsletters.
Age-Friendly Brochure Project: the City also developed an “Age-Friendly Brochure” that summarizes community resources and opportunities for older adult residents.
Domain: Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
Safe Walking Routes for Seniors Project: a group of resident volunteers assessed San Mateo areas with high concentrations of older residents. Then, this information was shared with the City’s Public Work Department so they could use this information to prioritize sidewalk repair efforts in these areas to reduce trip hazards.
Domain: Respect and Social Inclusion
Age-Friendly Business/Community Organization Training and Recognition Project: their AFC Advisory committee designed and distributed a questionnaire to learn what older adult value most in their local businesses. This data will be used to launch an AFC Business Recognition Project for local businesses in 2023.
AFC Action Plan: The City has hired a consultant to assist them with writing an AFC Action Plan that will help to ensure the sustainability and further development of their AFC Initiative.