Mayor Eddie Melton, center, holds the executive order creating Gary’s Age-Friendly Advisory Council.

Gary aims to be an AARP Age Friendly Community

Contributed By: The 411 News

Mayor Eddie Melton chose J’s Breakfast Club to sign an executive order announcing Gary had joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.

The AARP Network recognizes the importance of creating environments that empower and enable communities to become more age-friendly by addressing the unique needs of their older residents.

On Monday mornings, the restaurant at 26th and Broadway hosts ‘Silver Mondays.’ Rosie Washington, the restaurant owner’s mother calls it a meet-up space “designed to assist our senior citizens to stay in touch with what’s happening in our city.”

Melton’s Executive Order 2025-01 created Gary’s Age-Friendly Advisory Council, a 13-member body appointed by the mayor to join with AARP to make Gary an AARP Age Friendly Community. The focus is on improving the quality of life in Gary for its aging population.

The Council, composed of local government, nonprofits, businesses and residents, will look at how the city can build an age-friendly community.

The executive order recognizes that the communities where people choose to live – their physical, social and cultural environment – play a critical role in helping residents live longer and better.

“According to U.S. Census estimates, thirty-two percent of Gary residents are age 50 and older. Of those, 24% are 60-plus years and 12% are 70-plus years of age. That’s close to half of our population,” Mayor Melton said.

“And as mayor, I'm committed to addressing the unique needs of our aging population and creating an engaged, friendly environment where our seniors can thrive,” Mayor Melton said. “Over the years, you may feel like you have not received that quality in certain areas and those are the things we want to talk about as this conversation goes on."

The age-friendly initiative is headed by Kianna Grant, Gary’s Director of Constituent Services. With the Advisory Council in place, the real work is set to begin, Grant said.

“The council will conduct a community needs assessment, and that will help us understand our community strengths and areas for improvement in relation to AARP’s eight domains of livability,” Grant said. “Next, the council will develop priorities which are based on the findings from that community assessment.”

AARP’s 8 domains of livability are Outdoor Spaces & Buildings, Transportation, Housing, Social Participation, Respect & Social Inclusion, Work & Civic Engagement, Communication & Information, and Community & Health Services.

Making improvements in those areas of livability will benefit both older residents and people of all ages, Grant said.

Advisory Council members include Gary residents, representatives from Meals On Wheels, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Gary Public Transportation Corp., Oak Street Health, Gary Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, Center for Workforce Innovation, Gary YWCA, United Way, Gary Common Council, and Community HealthNet.

The age-friendly initiative will take the conversation across the city and to its senior citizen buildings, which have already been scheduled. Grant said the mayor will be meeting in person with senior citizen communities.

Emily Gorman, Community Engagement Director for AARP Indiana noted, “Becoming age friendly isn't a finish line; it's a goal and a commitment to consistently strive forward. Membership in the network does not mean that the community is currently age friendly or a great place to retire. It simply signifies a commitment to ongoing improvement and dedication to making the community more livable for all.”

The AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities is a national initiative designed to promote livability, inspire engagement in change efforts, and foster a culture of inclusion.

Coming soon to Silver Mondays at J’s Breakfast Club, Washington announced, are NIPSCO and Gary Public Transportation. Mattie Lightfoot, Lead Volunteer for AARP Indiana - Gary, asked Washington to get on the calendar to talk about fraud in the senior citizen community.


Mayor Eddie Melton, center, holds the executive order creating Gary’s Age-Friendly Advisory Council. To his left is Kianna Grant; on his right is Rosie Washington.

Story Posted:02/04/2025