Age-Friendly Athens County

10/12/2026

Accessibility is age-friendly!

Join the public open house on Wednesday, October 14, from 5 to 7 PM at the Athens Community Center.

10/11/2026

Volunteers Needed!
Last tax season, Tax-Aide volunteers at Athens County Public Libraries helped nearly 750 people, many of them older adults, access free tax preparation. More volunteers are needed this year to make sure everyone who needs help can get it.

If you do your own taxes, you already know much of what you need to get started. AARP Tax-Aide provides training, software, a computer, and ongoing support.
Interested? See the information below to learn more or get in touch.

10/09/2026

Ohio University researchers are looking for couples to participate in a study about stress and health as we age.

Couples may be eligible if they are ages 45–70, have been together at least six months, and can attend one study visit on Ohio University’s Athens campus.

Compensation of $150 per person ($300 per couple) is available.

See the flyer for details and information about how to enroll!

10/08/2026

Something new to try tomorrow!

10/07/2026

Have you taken the Athens County Community Health Survey yet?

The more residents who respond, the better the picture we have of our community's health needs and priorities.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/tVe8kf3wNp

10/06/2026

October's Feature is the Federal Valley Resource Center

Athens County is part of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, an effort to help people stay active, engaged, and supported as they grow older. Needs and routines may change with age, but that shouldn’t mean feeling left out or disconnected. This monthly series features local examples of what age-friendliness looks like in action, right here in Athens County.

Federal Valley Resource Center
Just outside Athens in Stewart, Federal Valley Resource Center is a place where people of all ages can find something to do, learn, or enjoy. Located in a former school building, it still carries that same sense of energy: people learning, gathering, and helping one another.

What makes FVRC especially age-friendly is the variety of programs and services offered in one community space. Older adults can take part in activities such as chair yoga and other senior programs, while the center also offers arts and music programs, a food pantry, thrift store, health clinics, pickleball, community events, and programs for children and families. Having so many activities in one place creates opportunities for people of different ages to be part of the same community.

10/05/2026

At risk for type 2 diabetes? Ohio University’s Diabetes Institute is enrolling for its next FREE Diabetes Prevention Program.

The program offers practical guidance and ongoing support to help participants build healthy habits, including physical activity, support, and trying new recipes.

Virtual info sessions: October 21 & 28, 6–7 PM
New cohort begins November 4
Questions? [email protected]

Individuals can enroll themselves, or healthcare providers can make a referral.

10/02/2026

The deadline for applications for the Senior Fund has been extended to October 18, 2026!

The Athens Jaycees Senior Fund
The Athens Jaycees Senior Fund supports organizations and programs working to improve the lives of older adults (60+) in Athens County. This year, approximately $65,000 is available through ACF’s Fall Grant Cycle. We want to encourage organizations to think broadly about what supporting people as they age could look like.

The Jaycees fund has deep local roots. In 2014, Housing for Athens Senior Residents donated $1 million to the Athens County Foundation to establish the fund following the sale of Heritage Commons Senior Housing. Heritage Commons itself began as an Athens Jaycees project in 1981, created to expand housing opportunities for local seniors. To date, the Jaycees Senior Fund has awarded more than $415,000 to support programs and services benefiting older adults across Athens County.

What could an Athens Jaycees Senior Fund project look like?
We’re inviting applicants to consider how their work could help make Athens County a community where people can remain active, connected, independent, and supported as they age.

Projects might address housing, transportation, community and health services, social connection, healthy living, accessibility, caregiver support, or other needs and opportunities identified by older adults.

The Jaycees Senior Fund intentionally remains flexible so that organizations can bring forward ideas grounded in what they are seeing and hearing in their communities. If your organization has an idea that could improve the experience of aging in Athens County, we encourage you to consider ACF’s Fall Grant Cycle to access the Jaycees Senior Fund. The deadline for grant requests supporting senior-related programs has been extended to October 18, 2026.

If you’d like guidance in developing or strengthening an age-friendly program idea, we encourage you to reach out directly to Amy Lipka with Age-Friendly Athens County at [email protected]. The Athens City-County Health Department will also sponsor Healthy Aging Community Grants in early 2027.

Senior Fund Grant Applications - https://mailchi.mp/athensfoundation/deadline-extension

10/01/2026

If you could write one rule for the world you want to grow older in, what would it be?

This International Day of Older Persons, HelpAge and 1 in 6 by 2030 are launching If I could write the rules…, a new campaign grounded in the voices and experiences of older people.

Through a series of portraits and interviews, older people in Cameroon, Colombia, Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan and Vietnam share the rules they would write, and explain what they would change, protect or make possible for future generations.

The campaign launches at an important moment. As work begins to develop a UN convention on the rights of older people, older people must be listened to and meaningfully involved in shaping it.

The campaign begins today, but it will continue beyond IDOP as we invite more people to add their voices.

Meet the participants, read their stories and share the rule you would write:

https://www.helpage.org/if-i-could-write-the-rules/