1. Outdoor Spaces and Buildings

This domain asks a basic question: can a person physically get to, enter, and remain comfortable in the places their community offers? It covers parks and open space, streetscape, and the accessibility of public and commercial buildings.

• Benches and shade placed at regular intervals along walking routes and in parks

• Public restrooms that are open, maintained, and usable by residents and visitors with mobility limitations

• Zero-step entries, automatic doors, and curb cuts at libraries, government buildings, and businesses

2. Transportation

Mobility should not depend on being able to drive. This domain covers the full range of ways people move: walking, biking, transit, paratransit, and informal options. It is often the weakest domain in small and mid-sized communities.

• Volunteer driver programs and demand-response shuttles for medical appointments

• Longer pedestrian signal timing and mid-block crossings on wide arterials

• Sidewalk gap inventories, repair funding, and winter clearance policy

3. Housing

Most people want to remain in their own home and neighborhood for as long as they can. Whether that is realistic depends on two things: whether the housing stock can be adapted for changing ability, and whether the community offers alternatives at a range of price points and sizes when the current home no longer works.

• Home modification and repair programs covering ramps, grab bars, and bathroom retrofits

• Zoning that permits accessory dwelling units and smaller-footprint housing

• Universal design incentives or requirements for new construction, including step-free entry and a first-floor bedroom and full bath

4. Social Participation

Isolation carries health consequences comparable to chronic disease. This domain covers whether meaningful social opportunities exist and if people can actually get to them and afford them. Programming that is inaccessible or priced out of reach for the majority does not count as social participation.

• Senior and community center programming offered at varied times

• Congregate meal sites and community dining

• Interest-based clubs, arts programming, and adult recreation at low or no cost

5. Respect and Social Inclusion

This is the attitudes and culture domain. It addresses how older residents are regarded, represented, and treated across the community, from customer service to media portrayal to whether people feel they belong.

• Intergenerational programming connecting schools with older adults

• Recognition programs that make older residents' contributions visible

• Age-inclusive language and imagery review for communications and local media

6. Work and Civic Engagement

Older adults contribute through paid work, volunteering, and civic life, and many want to keep doing so past traditional retirement age. This domain covers whether those pathways exist and whether they are designed with real constraints in mind, including flexibility, physical demands, and skill currency.

• Employer training and certification on age-inclusive hiring and flexible scheduling

• Reskilling and digital-skills programs built for workers over 55

• Volunteer placement that matches professional expertise to community need

7. Communication and Information

Services that exist but cannot be found are functionally unavailable. This domain is about delivery channels as much as content. It assumes a mixed population: some residents are fully online, some have no home internet, and information has to reach both.

• A centralized resource directory maintained in parallel across print, phone, and web

• Large-print and plain-language versions of public notices and benefits materials

• Digital literacy training paired with device and broadband access programs

8. Community and Health Services

Everyone eventually needs care. This domain covers whether services are present locally, whether residents can physically reach them, and whether they can afford them. All three have to be true for a service to count.

• Sufficient geriatric and behavioral health capacity, including telehealth

• Home and community-based services that support receiving care in place

• Caregiver respite, training, and support