Age & Dementia Friendly Cape Ann (ADFCA), a coalition of SeniorCare Inc. and the four communities of Cape Ann, hosted a summit in Gloucester to explore building a community for all ages on Cape Ann on May 1, 2019.
The summit featured state and local officials speaking to the importance embracing age and dementia friendly policies. The communities of Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Rockport, and Gloucester accepted Age-Friendly designation certificates from AARP and Dementia Friendly pledge acknowledgement from Dementia Friendly Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Councils on Aging.
During the event the Age & Dementia Friendly Cape Ann coalition released an action plan based on an extensive community assessment process that included a partnership with UMass-Boston and supported by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation and North Shore Community Health Network.
ADFCA’s approach to integrate the Age Friendly and Dementia Friendly initiatives has been used as a model for other communities looking to engage in both processes. The town of Essex was also the first in the state to receive Age and Dementia Friendly support from the Baker Administration via the Community Compact Program.
The Community Summit was made possible through a grant from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.