Age-Friendly Communities

Leah Sadler, MHSAssociate Director of Education, MAREP

Jennifer Gillies, Ph.D (c)Research Assistant, MAREP

Angela Van Berlo, Health PromoterHaliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit

Workshop Goals• Introduce the Age-Friendly Communities Initiative as one

strategy to help guide communities in becoming more age-friendly

• Learn and share from one another about current age-friendly strategies through dialogue

• Identify challenges and solutions to creating an age-friendly community

• Inspire communities to join in the movement towards becoming age-friendly

What is an Age-Friendly Community?A community where policies, services, settings and structures support and enable people to age actively by:

-Recognizing their wide range of capacities, talents and gifts

-Responding to their needs and preferences

-Respecting their decisions and lifestyle choices

-Protecting those most vulnerable

-Promoting their inclusion in, and contribution to, all areas of community life

Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors. (2007). Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Communities: A Guide. p. 5.

What are the Benefits of an Age-Friendly Community?

What do you think are the benefits of an age-friendly community….

- To individuals- To organizations- To communities- To Canada

How Was This Toolkit Developed?

• Identified the need to redevelop the ADRD framework• Developed a working group• Collected and reviewed literature/current models• Adapted the framework to fit our purpose• Developed and designed a draft of the toolkit• Seeking input from community areas

What is the Vision of the Toolkit?An organization and/or community will become more age friendly by:

•meeting the needs and preferences of older adults•accessing and utilizing their talents or gifts•meaningfully engaging older adults within the community

Who is this tool-kit for?Any individual, organization, or community that would like

to initiate change and take steps towards becoming a more age-friendly community

Age-Friendly Community Toolkit ‘Roadmap’

Respect and Support of All

Citizens

AnInformedSociety

An EnablingAnd Supportive

Environment

Personal, Social, and System

Connectedness

BUILDING BLOCKS

Access and Inclusion

for All

Community Engagement in

Decision-Making Livability

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

An Age-Friendly CommunityTransportation

Housing Community Support and Health Services

Civic Participation and EmploymentBuildings and Outdoor Spaces

Communication and InformationRecreation, Leisure, and Culture

Education

Accountability

A community is made up of many different systems that are interconnected and overlap just like shingles on a roof. The toolkit contains specific tips and strategies for each of these areas in a checklist format.

The three building blocks serve as the main structure for an age-friendly community. The toolkit contains a series of general reflective questions, along with tips and strategies for each of the building blocks.

The principles serve as the foundation for an AFC. Whether you encounter difficult decisions, or future strategic plans, the principles can be used as a moral compass to guide decision-making.

The AFC framework is best described using the image or metaphor of a

house since an age-friendly community is built in a similar way.

How Do We Get Started?Need to identify:

• What is your ‘community’?

• What ‘hat’ are you wearing?

• Who needs to be ‘sitting at the table’?

• What is your purpose for becoming age-friendly?

HKPR District Health Unit Active Communities

Charter

Values and PrinciplesEnabling and Supportive

Environment

Informed SocietyPersonal, Social

and System Connectedness

WHOAge-Friendly

8 Key Features-Outdoor Spaces and Buildings-Transportation-Housing-Respect and Social Inclusion-Social Participation-Communication and Information-Civic Participation and Employment-Community Support and Health Service

HKPR District Health Unit

Health for Life

Haliburton County

Accessibility

CommitteeCommunities in Action Aging-Well

Haliburton County

Haliburton Highlands

Family Health Team

Creating a Healthy, Active Age-Friendly Haliburton County

Group Discussion

• How will your community get started on an age-friendly initiative?

• Who are the key individuals that need to be involved? • What challenges do you anticipate?• What strategies can you implement to overcome these

challenges?

Guiding Principles

• Respect for and Support of All Citizens

• Access and Inclusion for All

• Community Engagement in Decision-Making

• Livability

• Accountability

An Informed Society…• continually learns about the needs and interests of older adults

• ensures all older adults are provided with the information they need to be engaged and included

• shares information and provides appropriate training for staff members, volunteers, and decision-makers

• shares information with the greater community in a way that respects the real lives of older adults

An Enabling and Supportive Environment…

• ensures access to programs, services and supports across the lifespan

• ensures the physical environment meets or exceeds current accessibility standards

• ensures that the social environment promotes the opportunity for meaningful participation by older adults

• instills feelings of safety and security in a way that respects dignity-of-risk and choice

Personal, Social, and System Connectedness…

• recognizes that we are all connected and interdependent

• provides opportunities for older adults to be build community connections

• builds meaningful partnerships between older adults and service providers

• creates a responsive system that meets the current and emerging needs of older adults

A Time for Dialogue

Now it is your turn!• To better understand the building blocks, refer to the

instructions on your table

Next Steps

• For the Haliburton community

• For the tool kit Working Group

• For other community organizations

Questions?

For more information about MAREP, please go to our website: www.marep.uwaterloo.ca