Illinois Joins the Age-Friendly Network

As part of a comprehensive, multisector effort to support communities where people of every generation can thrive, the State of Illinois joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in September 2026 and launched EngAging Illinois: A Comprehensive Plan for Living Well.

The state’s enrollment in the AARP network and the authorization to implement EngAging Illinois comes from an executive order signed in May by the governor.

September 18, 2026: Surrounded by representatives from AARP and the State of Illinois, Mary Killough, director of the Illinois Department on Aging, and Michelle Hoersch, the chief planning officer for EngAging Illinois, display an oversized certificate representing Illinois’ enrollment in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.

AARP ILLINOIS

The EngAging Illinois plan is organized around four key focus areas: Creating Livable and Connected Communities; Ensuring Health for All Ages; Investing in Caregivers; Affording Aging. As summarized in the executive order, the work will:

• address age-related demographic changes and their impact

• strengthen care infrastructure and support caregivers

• improve the quality, accessibility, and availability of long-term services and supports to help more older persons to remain in their homes and communities

• protect financial security and prevent fraud and financial exploitation

• expand access to technology and bridge the digital divide

• advance health equity in the context of aging

“Our multi-sector plan for aging is a dynamic, 10-year initiative that will help all of us — no matter where we live, how much we earn, what we look like, what we believe, or our abilities — to live well and to age with a sense of security and possibility,” said Mary Killough, director of the Illinois Department on Aging.

More than a dozen Illinois communities are already enrolled in the AARP age-friendly network. (See the list.) With its state-level enrollment, Illinois hopes to expand the benefits of age-friendly planning and innovation.

In the opening pages of the 10-year roadmap, Michelle Hoersch, the chief planning officer for EngAging Illinois, writes that the plan “is a promise we make to ourselves, our parents, our children, and every generation that follows. This is not a distant challenge. It is an immediate opportunity to reimagine what it means to age well and then act accordingly.”