Executive Summary

Everyone plays a role in making Illinois an exceptional place to live, work, support family, and grow older. Aging well – living well – is about all of us. 

The Illinois Department on Aging, in collaboration with a wide range of public and private partners, has developed EngAging Illinois: A Comprehensive Plan for Living Well. The Plan establishes policy and programmatic priorities and strategies to ensure our state, counties, cities, and towns are great places to grow up AND grow older. It will help all of us – no matter where we live, how much we earn, what we believe, who we love, our abilities, or what we look like – to live well and age with a sense of security and possibility. 

With a fundamental concern for equity, inclusion, and accessibility, EngAging Illinois describes strategies to improve and transform services, policies, and programs critical to all of us as we get older. It reframes the way we think about aging and recognizes the important value of older adults’ experiences, insights, and contributions. 

The Plan is organized around four key Focus Areas:  

In August 2024, Governor JB Pritzker signed an Executive Order establishing a cross-sector planning process to create a strategic blueprint to address the needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers over the next decade. 

The planning process was led by a Chief Planning Officer, supported by the Illinois Department on Aging, with the participation of 15 state agencies and a 25-member Community Advisory Council – groups with a wide range of expertise in areas from housing and transportation to health, homelessness, and economic development. Their work was complemented by nine public engagement sessions drawing hundreds of participants statewide.

Illinois is among the first wave of U.S. states to develop this type of inclusive and holistic strategy. The Plan has already begun generating new initiatives, aligning and coordinating resources, and setting out ways to measure progress through 2036. 

Translating this bold Plan into action will take time. In Appendix A  of the Plan, there are short-term (1-3 years), mid-term (4-6 years), and long-term (7-10 years) Actions. They will require the energetic and engaged participation of Illinois' Area Agencies on Aging, the state's Aging Network, all levels of government, the business community, educational institutions, health and social service providers, philanthropy, and crucially, community leaders and the people of Illinois. We all have a role to play. 

EngAging Illinois serves as a meaningful roadmap for the future. Over time, this Plan will evolve to incorporate new opportunities based on developments in scientific research, advances in technology, and program innovations. Together, we will make Illinois the best state in the country to live well as we age.