Age & Dementia Friendly Community Designation

Overview

The Town of Plymouth was recently awarded official designation as an Age–and Dementia Friendly Community by Dementia Friendly America Massachusetts and AARP. This designation provides resources for communities to inform, promote, and prioritize improvements that benefit residents across all ages and life stages. From 2021 to 2024, the Town of Plymouth’s Senior Task Force worked closely with the Gerontology Institute at UMass–Boston to develop Age–and Dementia Friendly Plymouth (ADFP), a community needs assessment, engagement, and action planning initiative that explores the needs and strengths among Plymouth residents for healthy aging. The ADFP Report was presented to the Plymouth Select Board and other stakeholders in 2024.

ADFP’s official designation positions Plymouth to become a more livable, age-friendly, and dementia-friendly community for all residents. The designation also puts Plymouth in the distinguished AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, which guides and supports municipalities by working to create safer and more walkable streets, housing, transportation options, better access to services, and opportunities for residents to participate in community activities. As a Network member, Plymouth will be able to tap into national/global research, planning models, supportive grants, and best practices.

For more information on local, state, and national resources on healthy aging and dementia, please visit the Plymouth Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mini-Hub.

Senior Task Force

Additionally, the Plymouth Select Board created a Senior Task Force to provide oversight of this work. The Task Force assists with community engagement strategies and developing a community assessment and action plan.

Resources for Alzheimer's, Dementia, and Parkinson's: Click here for resources