Age Friendly Olmsted County

Age-Friendly Olmsted County (AFOC) is a county-wide initiative affiliated with the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities and the World Health Organization Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. Its purpose is to ensure Olmsted County is intentionally designed so people can age actively, safely, independently, and with dignity across the life course, benefiting residents of all ages.

Following early community conversations from 2017–2019, Olmsted County formally joined the Age-Friendly network in 2020 and designated Family Service Rochester (FSR) as the lead agency.

Since that time, FSR has guided AFOC through the recognized age-friendly process, including a countywide community assessment launched in 2021, adoption of the 2023–2025 Action Plan in 2022, and ongoing implementation through 2026.

The AFOC Action Plan focuses on four strategic priorities:

expanding Home and Community-Based Services
improving service navigation and dementia-informed care access
providing tools and education to support aging in place
strengthening community engagement and advocacy.

Implementation has included caregiver respite and support efforts, dementia-friendly education, housing and aging-in-place advocacy, digital inclusion work, walk and park audits, transportation planning, and participation in major community initiatives such as the Destination Medical Center 10-Year Update.

AFOC has also secured multiple local, state, and national grants; conducted community-engaged research and surveys; and shared findings through presentations to civic, nonprofit, healthcare, and planning audiences. These efforts have advanced age-friendly principles across systems, policies, and the built environment.

For Family Service Rochester, AFOC extends the organization’s mission by positioning FSR as a community leader on aging, expanding relationships with government and funders, supporting system-level change alongside direct services, and increasing FSR’s visibility, credibility, and strategic influence.

In 2026, AFOC will complete its first age-friendly cycle with a formal review and development of a new 2027–2030 Action Plan. Planned next steps include affirming FSR’s role as the AFOC lead agency and establishing an AFOC steering committee to guide the next phase of work.