Age-Friendly Communities: An Introduction

Transcription

1 Age-Friendly Communities: An Introduction Dr. John Puxty September 3 rd, 2015 Funded by the Government of Ontario

2 Session Overview Overview of Age-Friendly Communities (AFC) Evolving Strategy in Ontario and Other Provinces Finding the Right Fit as a Planning and Implementation Framework AFC Planning Outreach Initiative and Supports Available

3 Ageing is the success of the 20 th century and the challenge of the 21st

4 Population 65 and Older Canada 30 Population 65 and older, Canada and older

5 Active Ageing Influenced by Interacting Determinants Active ageing is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age

6 Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide Originated in XVIII IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6

7 Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide Originated in XVIII IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Resulted in the WHO Age-Friendly Cities project engaging approximately 1,500 older adults, 250 caregivers and 500 service providers in the 33 cities 7

8 Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide Originated in XVIII IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Resulted in the WHO Age-Friendly Cities project, engaging approximately 1,500 older adults, 250 caregivers and 500 service providers in the 33 cities. Published in 2007 as Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide and Checklist of Essential Features of Age-friendly Cities. An age-friendly city is a city that encourages active ageing by optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. Described eight key features of an age-friendly community 8

9 Eight Features of an AFC: Physical Environment 1. Outdoor spaces and public buildings that are pleasant, clean, secure and physically accessible 2. Public transportation that is accessible and affordable. 3. Housing that is affordable, appropriately located, well built, well designed and secure. World Health Organization s (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide

10 Eight Features of an AFC: Social Environment 4. Opportunities for social participation in leisure, social, cultural and spiritual activities with people of all ages and cultures. 5. Older people are treated with respect and are included in civic life. 6. Opportunities for employment and volunteerism that cater to older persons interests and abilities. World Health Organization s (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide

11 Eight Features of an AFC: Personal well-being 7. Age-friendly communication and information are available. 8. Community support and health services are tailored to older persons needs. World Health Organization s (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide

12 Distribution of the 800 AFCs in Canada (2012) Public Health Agency of Canada

13 Some Lessons Learned To be successful, AFC initiatives must: be both bottoms up and top down and engage older adults involve multiple stakeholders, municipal and provincial governments, community organizations (public and private) & businesses Incorporate ongoing capacity building & support- Academia has a role! be aware of current initiatives that may contribute to AFC (e.g. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Municipal Plans, etc.) use an AFC lens to assess current policies and practices, organizations and services Access to and ability to leverage funds

14 Some Lessons Learned Some of the Challenges Limited local expertise or resources to support project and change management Transitioning from planning and needs assessment to implementation and evaluation Sustainability Ongoing access to resources and expertise

15 Ontario Initiatives: AFC Planning Guide 2013: Creation and publication of Finding the Right Fit Age- Friendly Community Planning Guide The Ontario Seniors Secretariat (OSS), the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (ADO), the Universities of Waterloo and McMaster and a broad Advisory Group

16 Finding the Right Fit: A Planning and Implementation Framework Explains the characteristics of an age-friendly community. Provides a one-stop shop for a broad range of existing AFC resources. Recognizes that collecting information that reflects or captures the characteristics of your community as broadly as possible is critical to a successful AFC initiative. Offers those working on AFC initiatives a framework for making informed choices

17 Finding the Right Fit: A Planning and Implementation Framework Step 1: Define Local Principles Step 2: Assess Needs Step 3: Develop an Action Plan Step 4: Implement and Evaluate

18 Ontario Initiatives: AFC Planning Grants for one year and 23 for two year duration of project

19 Ontario s Strategy: AFC Planning Grants

20 Ontario Initiatives: AFC Planning Grants for one year and 23 for two year duration of project Majority relate to creation of committee, defining local principles and needs assessment (48) Includes communities in North, Aboriginal and special ethnic needs 5 engaged in implementation 3 evaluation of previous plan and refresh

21 Ontario's Strategy: AFC Planning Outreach Initiative Partnership of: Universities of Waterloo, Queen s and Huntington/Laurentian Senior s Health Knowledge Network (SHKN) Ontario Interdisciplinary Council of Aging (OICAH) Three main components 1. Pilot Community Support 2. Educational Resources 3. Knowledge Translation and Exchange

22 Pilot Community Support Develop community-university partnerships to support communitybased age-friendly initiatives Pilot projects that will link 3-6 communities in different regions of the province with graduate students recruited through the three principle investigators. Investigators/Students are inter-disciplinary School of Planning, Social Gerontology, Geriatric Medicine and Public Health Communities will benefit from the dedicated assistance of a student and their support network. Students and communities will additionally benefit from the periodic exchange of knowledge and insights from their field work through biweekly webinars or videoconferences with each other and their mentors. Opportunity to study in depth evolution and implementation of AFC

23 Educational Resources Develop new AFC educational resources and integrate these resources within curriculum The three University Leads, and OICAH group will jointly support development and promotion of age-friendly resources that focus on the concepts and techniques covered in Finding the Right Fit for inclusion within new and existing curriculum and on-line information and education resources. Potential to include content within new Queen s Master in Gerontology Program

24 Knowledge Translation & Exchange Create a knowledge exchange network for Ontario communities 1. Dedicated Knowledge Broker 2. Access to How-to Summaries 3. Dedicated web presence 4. Webinar Series

25 1. Knowledge Broker Available to: Answer questions about the Guide Connect you to other people and resources to support your work Contact:

26 2. Access to How-to Summaries

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28 4. Webinar Series This webinar series will provide an opportunity to learn from the successes of others and enhance your own implementation based on lessons learned. A resource package will be provided to participants following each event. Subsequent webinars will explore each step in the Finding the Right Fit: Age-Friendly Community Planning Guide: Defining Local Priorities (October) Custom Needs Assessment (November) Developing an Action Plan (December) Implementation and Evaluation (January) Join the provincial distribution list to receive invitations to future webinars:

29 The growing presence of older persons in our increasingly urban and globalized world is an opportunity

30 It reminds us of our common humanity

31 Thank you! Dr. John Puxty Sarah Webster Provincial distribution list: