Age-friendly business examples

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS A section of the Age-Friendly Boston checklist. City of Boston Age Strong Commission Boston joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in 2014.

Among the goals in its age-friendly action plan was the creation of an age-friendly and dementia-friendly business designation. "We want to educate businesses on how to make their

locations and customer service more inclusive," states the Age Strong Commission's webpage about age-friendly businesses in Boston.  To participate in the age- and

dementia-friendly business program, an interested business completes an application, meets with a volunteer "business ambassador" and completes an employee training. Approved

businesses receive a certification and window decal for the storefront. The shops and services are also included in a list on the city's website. As of mid-2022, certified businesses 

include medical offices, coffee shops, banks, bakeries, beauty salons, restaurants, dry cleaners, a laundromat and even a liquor store. LEARN MORE   CLEVELAND, OHIO Images from the

Age-Friendly Cleveland website. Better Business Bureau Cleveland Age-Friendly Business Certification Cleveland’s Age-Friendly Business Certification Program was jointly created in 2019 by

the city’s Department of Aging and the Better Business Bureau.  If the business has a physical storefront, AARP volunteers will complete an in-person evaluation. If the business is remote,

volunteers will look at factors such as whether contracts are written in a readable font and size, and if they are clearly worded. After the evaluations, feedback is given to the applicant

with comments regarding the business's accessibility and age-friendliness, as well as advice and suggestions for improvements. The final step is a one-hour, business-wide interactive

training led by staff from the Cleveland Department of Aging to help the business owner and employees better understand the experiences of older adults. The session includes activities that

mimic the physical difficulties many older adults face, such as navigating an office space or accessing the rest rooms while using a walker. Other activities mimic what it's like to

have a vision impairment and needing to find and read information, or complete forms. Another exercise demonstrates the difficulty of opening doors and pill bottles, and performing other

activities with hands constricted by arthritis.   After the training, the business receives its Age-Friendly Business Certification package, which includes a vinyl decal for the business

window, a listing on the city's Better Business Bureau website, the ability to use the Age-Friendly Business logo on digital and print materials, and a featured place at future

Department of Aging events. While a business needs to undergo the certification only once, there is an annual $75 renewal fee. LEARN MORE   EVANSTON, ILLINOIS The Age-Friendly Evanston guide

and checklist. CITY OF EVANSTON To earn an age-friendly recognition in Evanston, Illinois, businesses need to adopt some of the age-friendly practices noted in a three-tiered checklist.

Examples include providing seating; installing well-lighted signage; creating printed materials that use large, legible typography; and implementing wider aisles and automatic doors. Other

requirements involve participating in a free, collaborative consultation with a representative of the Age-Friendly Evanston Task Force about low- or no-cost ways to make appropriate changes.

  In addition, the task force representative will compare the business’s self-completed checklist with observations made by city representatives or community members (also referred to as

“secret shoppers”) who have visited the business location. PORTLAND, MAINE Business owners in Portland, Maine, pose with their age-friendly business certificates. Learn about the program by

reading the article Age-Friendly Portland, Maine. AGE FRIENDLY PORTLAND After a visit, the secret shoppers confidentially report their interactions with staff and accessibility of the

business. The checklist about interactions with the staff list qualities to look for, including:  * Courteous, prompt, and patient responses to customer concerns * Speaking directly with

customers rather than deferring to companions * The availability of a live customer service representative The checklist about a business's accessibility includes observations of: *

Seating and rest areas * Aisles free of obstruction * Clearly marked doors and entryways LEARN MORE   FORT WORTH, TEXAS Images promoting the Fort Worth Age-Friendly & Dementia-Friendly

program. FORT WORTH AGE-FRIENDLY & DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY By 2050, more than 30 percent of the more than 10 million residents of Dallas-Fort Worth will be age 50 or older. According to the

United Way, nearly 14 percent of the Medicare population in Tarrant County, Fort Worth, has been diagnosed with dementia, which is notably higher than the national average of 9.9 percent. 

DES MOINES, IOWA Mullets Restaurant was the first to receive and place the Age-Friendly Greater Des Moines business decal on its door.  PHOTO BY DOUG MCBRIDE Fort Worth launched its

Certified Age-Friendly Business program in 2018 and Certified Dementia-Friendly Business program in 2019. By undergoing a review of their operations and committing to making age- and

dementia-friendly improvements, a business can become certified and be included in the region's _Age-Friendly & Dementia-Friendly Business Directory_. To receive the designations,

the business must: * Be physically located in or provide direct services to residents of Fort Worth * Have a valid, non-expired business license * Pledge to uphold the age-friendly and

dementia-friendly checklist values within a year LEARN MORE   SOUTHERN COLORADO Logos for the age-friendly program and the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU

OF SOUTHERN COLORADO The region’s age-friendly business certification was created through an alliance between the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado and the nonprofit Innovations in

Aging Collaborative. The program promotes age-friendly business practices and certifies area businesses as age-friendly through a review process that considers the business’s physical

environment (ensuring that it is clean and easily accessible with adequate lighting and low noise levels), staff and personnel, customer experience and marketing. Among the specific

requirements and recommendations: * Criteria 1. Physical Environment: The facility is clean and easily accessible with adequate lighting and low noise levels * Criteria 2. Staff and

Personnel_: _Staff are easy to identify and are trained to be respectful, patient and accessible * Criteria 3. Marketing: Print and web materials are easy to read with 12-point or larger

fonts and good contrast * Criteria 4. Customer Experience: A friendly and engaging environment is provided to customers with assistance at the point-of-sale LEARN MORE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Programs in WALES require businesses to select one staff member to act as a champion for age friendliness and older customers. In fact, the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales provides

“Ageing Well Cards” (see below) that residents can use to let businesses know if they need additional assistance. In AUSTRALIA, the Melville Age Friendly Accessible Business Network focuses

on supporting people with differing abilities, including older customers with dementia. A sampler of Ageing Well Cards. OLDER PEOPLE’S COMMISSIONER FOR WALES WALES, UNITED KINGDOM

Approximately one third of Wales’s population is age 60 or older. “As the spending power of older people increases, businesses that cater towards their desires and needs will be more likely

to succeed,” notes the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales. “Impactful changes can often be implemented for little, or even no, expense. An age-friendly business is a people-friendly

business. By implementing facilities to be more age-friendly, you’ll also be making your business more welcoming for all sorts of people, including pregnant women, parents with children,

people with disabilities or sensory impairments, and those with physical or mental health conditions.” Among the recommendations and requirements for the designation are that staff recognize

the Ageing Well Card (pictured), offer support to older customers who need assistance, employ workers of varying ages, ensure that signage and pricing is clear and easy to read, and that

the business offers regular “quiet hours” for shoppers during which all music and TVs are switched off. An image from a Melville Age Friendly Accessible Business Network event. CITY OF

MELVILLE MELVILLE, AUSTRALIA The Melville Age Friendly Accessible Business Network works with local businesses to implement age-friendly and accessibility initiatives to support older

adults, those living with dementia and people with disabilities. "Older people and people living with a disability make up a significant part of the community," states the

network's website. "The MAFAB network was created to support businesses meet the needs of this important group and is part of a wider strategy to ensure Melville is an accessible,

inclusive and age-friendly city." Age-friendly business membership offers access to government and community initiatives to support, technology, trainings and workshops as well as

one-on-one meetings with City of Melville staff. _DALAN HWANG is a consultant with the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from

the University of Maryland College Park and served in Tanzania as a Peace Corps volunteer specializing in community development and agriculture._ _Page published October 2022_ RELATED LINKS

More from AARP.org/Livable  Use the dropdown to choose a livability topic. Select a Subject HONOLULU, HAWAII Learn more by reading 10 Tips to Help Businesses Engage With Kupuna (That's

Hawaiian for 'Older Adults'). A sampler of Ageing Well Cards. OLDER PEOPLE’S COMMISSIONER FOR WALES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Programs in WALES require businesses to select one staff

member to act as a champion for age friendliness and older customers. In fact, the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales provides “Ageing Well Cards” (see below) that residents can use to

let businesses know if they need additional assistance. In AUSTRALIA, the Melville Age Friendly Accessible Business Network focuses on supporting people with differing abilities, including

older customers with dementia. An image from a Melville Age Friendly Accessible Business Network event. CITY OF MELVILLE More from AARP.org/Livable  Use the dropdown to choose a livability

topic. Select a Subject