Since beginning our work on becoming an Age-Friendly community, our efforts have been focused primarily on Communication and access to information, Transportation, and to a lesser extent housing. We have employed multiple methods of communicating with older residents about available local and county resources through bimonthly print newsletters distributed at many locations throughout town and in senior housing facilities, newspaper press releases, and public access television. The need for local, free transportation for older residents is currently being met through a town-owed van that currently provides rides twice a week for residents 60 and over or who have special needs. The borough is planning to expand this service to three times a week and also exploring possible special shopper shuttle days and outings. As part of our Westwood for All Ages initiative, we have promoted other forms of low-cost or free transportation options and have also piloted a program subsidizing memberships in EZRide’s Ryde4life which has yielded moderate success. We will continue to explore other avenues to help older residents access on-demand types of transportation at a reasonable cost. The other programmatic area that has been a large focus of the past year is our Street Smart campaign aimed at creating greater awareness for pedestrian and driver safety, and walkability in the community. These efforts are ongoing and will hopefully continue to enhance the quality of life and walkability for all ages in Westwood.

We currently have a team of Westwood for All Ages Ambassadors comprised of residents over 65 who are already involved in various community and civic organizations. Their role is to be a voice for their community, educate others on services and programs available for older residents, advocate at local and state levels for the needs of older residents, and help drive future programming geared towards helping older residents live and thrive in place. The Mayor has also established a Senior Advisory Committee of 9 older residents who meet on a monthly basis to assess how older residents needs are being met, and identify areas requiring municipal attention in order to create a higher quality of life for older residents of Westwood. The Westwood for All Ages initiative also has a Steering Committee that consists of members of the Senior Advisory Committee, the Ambassadors, borough council representatives, department heads, residents and other stakeholders who share information and help identify priorities for age-friendly programming.