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With the completion of the AARP 5-year Progress Report in September, Age-Friendly Buncombe County entered the next 5-year phase and is working on future goals. We thank Ali Climo, previous Buncombe County Age-Friendly Coordinator, for leading Age-Friendly Buncombe County since 2016 and creating the vision for the Age-Friendly Action Plan. Buncombe County became an age-friendly community and joined AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly Communities in 2017 because of Ali’s work. We also thank Ali for her contributions in drafting the content and the visual layout of the AARP 5-year Progress Report.
Some of the highlights of the past year include:
- Asheville/Buncombe Black Elders (ABBE) Engagement Project started in February.
- Buncombe County hired a full-time Age-Friendly Coordinator, Billie Breeden, to oversee the age-friendly work in August.
- The Elder Justice Coalition recorded a presentation called Friends Against Fraud in August which was originally developed by Guilford County.
- Jennifer Teague, Aging and Adult Services Program Manager, served on a panel of Age-Friendly Communities at the AARP Age My Way NC Summit in October and discussed the current initiatives of Age-Friendly Buncombe County.
- Billie Breeden presented about Age-Friendly Buncombe County at the 2022 Dr. Suzanne Landis Geriatric Summit: Age Friendly Health Care at MAHEC in November.
Development of the Age-Friendly Action Plan for 2023-2027 will start January 1st. Please reach out to Billie Breeden if you are interested in helping with developing this new plan.
Billie Breenden
billie.breeden@buncombecounty.org