Nearly 30 percent of Maple Grove residents are 55 and older—and the city is determined to create opportunities and services to meet this growing population. iStock/AJ_Watt
The City of Maple Grove works to meet the needs of modern aging.
With a growing population of aging adults, Maple Grove has a plan to adapt to its residents and change the way aging is perceived. “In 1990, 6 percent of Maple Grove was 55 or older. In 2022, it was 28 percent,” says Lydia Morken. “Modern aging is changing … Our communities need to adapt to the demographic, and there are so many opportunities there.”
It began nearly a decade ago when resident Goytree Hawkim started meeting with City of Maple Grove staff to see if the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities framework could work within the community. Kris Orluck, senior coordinator for the City of Maple Grove, who was with 55 Forward at the time, worked alongside Hawkim to build out the program; in 2016, Age-Friendly Maple Grove (AFMG) was officially launched. It has since joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, part of WHO’s Age-Friendly Cities, and has developed a new action plan for the coming years.
“[AFMG] is designed to elevate aging in the city of Maple Grove and to deliberately include older adults at a new level across all facets of the community,” says Morken, a consultant for AFMG. She posed a question: “Why is there not one place to bring together all these kinds of resources and information you need—whether related to yourself getting older or someone in your family that you care about—for all aspects of our lives that are important and interconnected?” Morken says AFMG is part of the answer to staying connected. The organization features a collection of curated resources tailored to aging in Maple Grove. Topics vary from transportation and housing to health and wellness, civic engagement and employment to social involvement. “We are service recipients when we get older, and sometimes we need things, and that’s OK; that’s true at every age,” she says. “But there’s an opportunity for communities to empower us as we age.”
Since its launch, AFMG has completed a five-year action plan and an 18-month community needs assessment. In 2024, it launched a new three-year action plan. “It’s based on what we heard from the community, including residents, local government and key partners,” Morken says.
As a part of the new plan, AFMG launched the File of Life program in Maple Grove last December as a part of its emergency preparedness and community services domain. The pamphlet, held in a magnetic sleeve that belongs on the refrigerator, includes critical information, such as one’s illnesses, medications and emergency contacts. “If something happened to you and emergency services had to come to your home, they can access the information about you,” Morken says. This is one of the efforts brought forth by AFMG—and Morken says there is more to do in coming years.
“We’re trying to do a cultural shift, not just in Maple Grove, but in general of how our society perceives aging and what aging looks like,” Morken says. “We’re trying to be more deliberately inclusive of aging, elevate aging and dismantle negative perceptions of aging.”
Get Involved
Age-Friendly Maple Grove meets once per quarter and all virtual meetings are open to the public. “We would love to have more people attend,” Lydia Morken says. “Whether it’s once or every quarter; however often they might want to.” Agenda items vary from updates on related work, highlighting accomplishments and releasing future plans.
The remaining meeting dates for 2025 include May 9, August 8 and November 14; each meeting is from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Interested residents can join the meetings by emailing Age-Friendly Maple Grove chair Liz Faust at efaust@maplegrovemn.gov prior to the meeting date.
For other opportunities, such as joining a sub-committee or volunteering in another way, visit agefriendlymaplegrove.org or email info@agefriendlymaplegrove.org.
Age-Friendly Maple Grove
12951 Weaver Lake Road; 763.494.6524
