The Alameda County Social Services Agency, or ACSSA, and the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, or HCSA, have launched an “age-friendly” county website aimed at older adults.
The Age Friendly Alameda County web portal provides information on aging in the county and offers access to social services. Resources include information about the 2020 census, staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, meal delivery services and a public service announcement on elder abuse.
“The website is intended to provide a user friendly, centralized location for older adults to access the services and information they need to stay informed and connected with resources and tools that will assist them in living an independent and full life,” said ACSSA director of the Office of Public Affairs Sylvia Soublet in an email.
Following a request from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, the ACSSA and the HCSA worked with the Alameda County Council for Age-Friendly Communities to develop content for the web portal, according to Soublet. The website was then designed by the county’s Information Technology Department.
The information itself concerns older adults, but the website is applicable to anyone with an older adult in their life, said Soublet.
Soublet suggests website visitors view the “What’s New” section, which will be frequently updated with timely information.
“Connecting seniors with the services they may need is more critical than ever during the COVID-19 emergency,” said ACSSA director Lori Cox in an Alameda County press release. “What this site also does is connect seniors with information and opportunities to take action and contribute their talents, which benefits the whole community.”
The creation of the Age Friendly website illustrates Alameda County’s efforts to improve life for residents of all ages, according to the press release.
After joining in June 2019, Alameda County is part of the Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities created by the World Health Organization in response to the growing population of older adults around the world. This program is facilitated in the U.S. by the AARP.
“Alameda County has proudly joined the World Health Organization’s global network of age-friendly communities,” said HCSA director Colleen Chawla in the press release. “This website helps to make that vision a reality.”
