By SDCN Editor
Oceanside, CA–The City of Oceanside is developing an action plan to help improve the lives of older adults and individuals living with disabilities.
On April 7, the City of Oceanside joined the AARP Age-Friendly Network. AARP has identified eight domains of livability that will provide a framework for the City to focus its plan, including outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, work and civic engagement, communication and information, and community and health services. In 2024, the City received a 53 overall livability score, in the top half of communities nationally. Oceanside scored 61 in the category of ‘neighborhood,’ which includes access to parks, libraries, grocery stores, and crime rates. They also excelled in the ‘health’ category, scoring at 65 due to lower rates of obesity, smoking, and healthcare professional shortages as well as higher access to exercise opportunities.
The San Diego Foundation provided funding to have the City partner with the Center for Excellence in Aging and Longevity at the San Diego State University Social Policy Institute to develop a five-year action plan to improve livability in Oceanside.
The plan will be developed over the next year, and the City is currently collecting surveys to help identify priorities and challenges facing older adults and individuals living with disabilities. The deadline to complete the survey is January 6.
The City has assembled a group of community members to serve as an advisory group that will help guide the development of its action plan. The City has been working with AARP to develop a coalition of Age Friendly Ambassadors who are engaging with the community to ensure that there is broad participation in the surveys and community listening sessions that will be scheduled early next year.
“This process will help define how we approach policies and planning with an age-friendly lens,” said Manuel Gonzalez, Oceanside Director of Parks and Recreation. “It is critical that our action plan is reflective of the entire Oceanside community so we are working hard to ensure that we are inclusive and engaging with our most vulnerable populations.”
The City has an Age-Friendly Action Plan webpage with more information about the domains of livability and a link to the survey, which is available in English and Spanish. Oceanside residents can also pick up a survey at any City of Oceanside senior center, recreation center, library, or community resource center or take the survey online.
“Oceanside’s senior population is growing exponentially, and it will be increasingly important that we are intentional in how we think about infrastructure and services so that Oceanside is a place where people can age on their own terms.” said Gonzalez.
Anyone interested in becoming an Age-Friendly Ambassador can call (760) 435-5561 or e-mail RecAdmin@oceansideca.org.
