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A citizens advisory group working on an action plan to make Oahu "age-friendly" for seniors and youth expects to make a presentation early next year.
More than 50 business and community leaders of the Age Friendly City’s Citizens Advisory Committee met Friday at Neal Blaisdell Center to offer input on housing, transportation, employment, community support, health services and open and public spaces.
The meeting was the last in a series of group meetings that began in April.
The group’s draft action plan will be presented during the Honolulu mayor’s summit to be held in January or February.
A final draft will be submitted to AARP and the World Health Organization.
Addressing the committee, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said, "We are facing a tsunami of an aging population." He added, "Fifty, 60, 70, 80 years from now, people will live better because of the journey we’re living now."
By 2030 an estimated 1 in 4 residents in Honolulu will be older than age 65.
Mary Ann Barnes, chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente, said, "It’s critical that we start this work now."
Barnes is leading the advisory committee with retired Kamehameha Schools President and Headmaster Michael Chun and Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii President Sherry Menor-McNamara.