Excellence in Government Award Finalist: Aging Council Listening Sessions

The Aging Council Listening Sessions initiative was honored as a finalist for the inaugural Excellence in Government Award as part of the Governor’s Office success recognition program on January 27, 2025. 

Arizona is facing some stark realities related to the aging population. According to the Arizona State Plan on Aging 2023-2026,  in the next five years, there will be more older adults than young children. By 2030, the older adult population will increase by nearly 50%.

According to the Foundation for Senior Living, one out of 10 seniors face food insecurity; seniors are also the number one growing population experiencing homelessness. 

In 2024, the Governor's Office of Youth, Faith and Family, on behalf of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging, collaborated with various stakeholders to host community listening sessions to understand the needs of aging adults in Arizona, especially within underserved populations. Sessions were held in Parker, Oro Valley, and Tucson, including one at the Dunbar Pavilion, a historic cultural center that plays a vital role in Tucson’s African American community.

Barbara Lewis, vice president of the Dunbar Pavilion, attended a session in October 2024. Although she initially wasn’t interested, she ended up being grateful for the opportunity for her to share her experiences and hear from peers. 

“I’m so very glad I did [participate]. If we have more, I will urge other people to do the same,” she said. “Young and older [people] talked about things that were needed in the aging population in Arizona.” 

Some of the issues that came up were the challenges of living on fixed incomes, increased living expenses, the fear of falling as an older adult, the limited opportunities for socializing, lack of access to high-quality meals, confusion about technology, and much more. Participants emphasized the need for affordable housing, caregiver support, and help navigating community resources. The Aging Council is now working on education, programming, and more to respond to this community feedback. 

The Aging Council Vice Chair Carol Brown said that it’s important to give older adults a voice so that they can share their fears, successes, and ideas with the people who can take action.

“There’s a lot of work to be done. And yes, there are challenges that we are facing,” said Brown. “But when we shine a light on it… we are going to see things change. And we’re going to see things improve. Our older adults will benefit from that, yes, but so will their caregivers. So will their family members. And so will the communities.