What is an Age-Friendly Community?
Canada’s senior population is growing, making it more important than ever to support the health and well-being of older adults. Age-Friendly Communities (AFCs) take advantage of health and well-being opportunities by ensuring policies, planning processes, structures, and services are accessible to and inclusive of people of all ages and abilities. It encourages us to look at how a community’s physical and social environment, and health care system intersect to impact health and wellness.
Ageing Actively
In an age-friendly community, the policies, services, and structures related to the physical and social environment are designed to help seniors “age actively,” stay connected and live safely with good health. It is often made up of committees of local municipalities, stakeholder groups like senior associations, businesses, public health, and individuals coming together to create environments that:
- Are inclusive
- Are accessible
- Anyone can participate in and contribute to
- Support and respect diverse needs and values
- Promote active, safe, and independent living
- Enhance well-being and quality of life
- Are not just “elder-friendly” but support the needs and values of all individuals
Characteristics of an age-friendly community:
- Buildings and streets free of physical barriers
- Safe neighbourhoods that allow children to do activities outside
- Residents have the community support and health services they need which means less stress for caregivers
- Volunteer opportunities for older adults so they can stay engaged in the community
Benefits to Individuals and Caregivers living in AFCs
- Improved health care outcomes
- Enhanced use of community supports and services
- Reduced isolation and risk of depression
- Improved accessibility, mobility and safety
- Improved engagement with the community
- Improved self-worth and financial security
Your own daily observations as a caregiver will help you identify your community’s particular needs. You may ask yourself, are the sidewalks even so that your care recipient can safely walk to the car or into a doctor’s office or store without fear of falling? If they are unable to walk, can he/she easily access city-wide transportation? Questions like these may seem overwhelming, but they will generate ideas for you and can result in significant improvements to the communities.
As a caregiver, you can also seek answers from city officials, local agencies, businesses and other key players to ensure they are continuously informed about the needs of seniors. Acknowledge what your community has done right in reducing the challenges of caregiving and addressing the needs of older adults. Connect with your city officials or senior center to ask about your area’s plan for developing an AFC and to add your own thoughts on ways to improve the plan.
Learn more about age-friendly communities, please visit:
- Age-Friendly Communities Website
- Ontario’s AFC provincial planning guide
- WHO’s Global Age-Friendly Cities – A Guide
Sources:
The above content was adapted, in part, from an Ontario Caregiver Organization webinar presented by Dr. John Puxty who is an experienced Geriatrician, Associate Professor and Chair of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Queen’s University, and Director of the Centre for Studies in Aging and Health. He has a primary interest in promoting healthy ageing and wellness for older adults through his ongoing research in ageing, age-friendly communities, memory disorders, and knowledge mobilization strategies.
