News Releases

PHOENIX (September 15, 2022) – Older adults live longer when they are connected to their community and have meaningful opportunities to contribute. Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years of age will double. Cities can help older people to live longer, healthier lives by adapting to meet the needs of a growing older population – while at the same time creating more prosperous communities. How do they do that?

Age of Connections, the first-ever hybrid Age Friendly Arizona conference, will focus on helping communities connect older adults with the people, places, and services that contribute to a great quality of life. The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at the Desert Willow Conference Center, 4340 E Cotton Center Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85040, with additional options for virtual participation. *Registration closed September 9 for in-person attendees and will close on September 16 for virtual attendees, but media may participate online or in person. Contact [email protected].

Age of Connections Conference Details and Agenda

The keynote speaker at the event will be Zach Benedict, managing principal at MKM architecture + design. Benedict has dedicated his career as an architect to understanding the connection between people and places. With an extensive background in urban sociology, he is considered one of the leading voices in the “Lifetime Community” movement, focusing on the socioeconomic benefits of age-friendly neighborhoods.

Other key presentations will include a morning panel on age-friendly transportation, a luncheon panel of the COVID response statewide, and 13 different workshops to attend online or in-person. These include:

• Connections Between the Built Environment and Transportation
• Neighbors Care Alliance, A Program of Pima Council on Aging
• Dementia Capable Southern Arizona Initiative
• Affordable Housing Action Plan for Older Adults
• The Role of Mobility Management
• Dementia Friends Information Session
• Connecting in the Time of COVID
• Technology for Better Rural Ridership
• How Volunteering Keeps Our Later Years Golden
• End of Life Planning and Approaches
• Community Connections
• Solutions for Staffing Challenges
• Older Adults in Crisis

The conference is offered free of charge thanks to sponsorships from AARP AZ, the Veterans’ Donations Fund of Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services, SCAN Desert Health Plan, Vitalyst Health Foundation, and The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation. For questions about the event, please contact Kelly Taft at [email protected].