What is a "community"?

A "community" is comprised of people who live within a geographically defined area and have social, cultural, and psychological ties with each other and with the place where they live.

The definition of "community" used here is very broad. Each of the pilot communities (see below) was asked to delineate its own borders. So, for example, one "community" is as small as the Lincoln Square NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) in New York City, with fewer than 600 residents age 65+ out of a total population of approximately 3,000, while Maricopa County in Arizona has a little more than 350,000 residents age 65+ and an overall population of three million. In the AdvantAge Initiative, despite this size differential, both are considered "communities".

"AdvantAged" communities:

	Actively engage older adults and their considerable civic, social, and financial assets to make their communities a better place to live.
	Build their capacity to support the health, well being, and independence of all their elders, including older people at risk for disease and disability and the disabled or frail elderly.