Better living within the community
Aging at home depends on having a supportive community that is designed and built to help us be mobile, access the services we need, visit those we want to see and do the things we enjoy.
Age-friendly communities
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are eight key ingredients in the social and physical environment that help older adults live in community:
Outdoor spaces and public buildings
Accessible transportation
Quality housing
Social participation
Respect and social inclusion
Opportunities to participate
Communication and information
Community support and health services
The WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities helps cities and communities to achieve this aim. AFCs are spreading and scaling worldwide and across Canada, with many communities working on improving these features. Canada has adopted its own approach based on WHO with the Pan-Canadian Age Friendly Communities milestones and guidelines for communities.
Ireland leading the way
Ireland’s Age Friendly Ireland Programme is an example of a bold, national approach to supporting cities, counties and towns to prepare for the needs of a rapidly aging population by addressing the environmental, economic and social factors that influence the health and wellbeing of older adults.
Does your community have the following age-friendly features?
Streets that are walkable
Good sidewalks and lighting
Pedestrian crossings
Mixture of homes, stores and services
Good green space and parks
Handy transportation systems
Places to go for social connection, recreation
Innovative ways to get around
Companies such as Uber and Lyft have introduced innovative transportation solutions for older adults who can no longer drive and those needing mobility assistance: Uber Assist, Carerides/CareLinx, Go-Go Grandparent.
Designing the future
A review of age-friendly communities around the world shows some common goals: to help older people be active and independent, to lessen isolation and to make sure all members can access affordable housing options. Not all meet these goals due to differences in strategies and approaches.
The action plans, strategies and policies used to establish AFC fall into two groups, with most initiatives using both. Top-down approaches are driven by formal planners and levels of government and sometimes are stalled by lack of commitment. Bottom-up approaches depend on the actions and input of older adults and can suffer from lack of resources.
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What helps?
• Purposeful engagement with older adults as active participants in creating age friendly plans is critical, coupled with support from funders, planners, and various levels of government.
• Making AFC a priority in municipal planning through provincial land use policies, the development review process, and setting specific senior-friendly priorities for specific types of neighbourhoods.
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What hinders?
• Strategic planning challenges due to fragmentation of efforts and priorities, the complexities of government and partnerships and the lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities of various levels of government and the public and private sectors in implementing AFC frameworks.
• Lack of focus on rural and remote settings and their particular challenges with lack of transportation options, sidewalks and walkability.
• Accessibility of buildings and spaces both in proximity and physical accessibility for older adults.
Food for thought
How are older adults involved in the design of your community? How could that be enhanced or improved?
Who do you think should be responsible for making sure public buildings are age-friendly? New housing construction? Transportation?
What are the most important changes that need to happen in our car-dependent suburbs—where the majority of Canadians live—to make sure people can grow old in their communities?
What are some workable solutions for people hoping to age well in rural communities, which often lack sidewalks, transportation and available services and amenities?
Additional resources
The Path Forward for Aging in Canada discussion paper
Articles
Uber Assists Arrival in Ottawa greeted with Praise, Concerns (CBC)
Gogo Grandparent helps seniors without smart phones (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Older People need rides. Why aren’t they using Uber and Lyft? (New York Times)