finding the right fit age-friendly community planning finding the right fit: age-friendly community...
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Finding the Right FitAge-Friendly Community
Planning
Finding the Right Fit:Age-Friendly Community Planning
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PresentersDr. Margaret Denton, McMaster University Amanda Peters, McMaster University
Ruth Wilford, Lakehead UniversityDr. Mary McGeown, Lakehead University
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Outline of PresentationAge-friendly Cities and CommunitiesWhat is happening in Ontario todayWhat is the Government of Ontario doing to
promote age-friendly communitiesOverview of the guide Finding the Right Fit:
Age-friendly Community PlanningLessons learned on building an age-friendly
communityContact Information
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Aging Seniors in Ontario: A Demographic Imperative
2012 1.9 Million (14.9%)
2036 4.1 Million (25%)
Is it a Silver Tsunami or a Triumph of Our Times????
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Age-Friendly Cities & Communities (AFC)
AFC is an effective local policy approach for responding to demographic aging.
AFCs establish policies, programs, services and infrastructure that supports the physical and social environments designed to enable older people to live in safety, enjoyment, good health and well-being while continuing to participate in society in meaningful ways.
Roots in Environmental Gerontology discipline that suggests the ongoing relationship between people and their physical and social environment affects their quality of life (p-e fit).
“The goodness of fit”
For example:What is the p-e fit between older adults with mobility
limitations and the public transportation system?
What is the p-e fit between older adults who are isolated and lonely and the number of social activities in the community and why they are not able to attend?
Origins of the AFC ConceptPerson-Environment Fit (P-E fit)
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8 Dimensions of an Age-Friendly City or Community
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Heart of the Guide is the Age Friendly Checklist
Tool for self assessment and a map to chart progress.
Going beyond the checklist is possible.
Twelve (12) Ontario communities are members of the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities:
Central Region : Welland
West Region: London, Waterloo, Windsor, Port Colborne,
East Region: Ottawa, Kingston
North Region: Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie; Francophone Communities: Hearst, Noëlville, Verner.
Sources: Ontario Seniors Secretariat (December 2013); MAREP AFC Communities Stories Website
Many Communities have not begun
Others are at various stages of the process (26):
Central Region : Burlington, Mississauga, Collingwood, Halton, Hamilton, Richmond Hill, Toronto, Town of Caledon, York Region
West Region: Brantford, Cambridge, Port Colborne, Welland, Erie St Claire, Guelph, Kitchener, Niagara Region, Oxford County, Petrolia, Sarnia-Lambton, Waterloo
East Region: Kawartha Lakes ; Halliburton Highlands, Peterborough. Sharbot Lake Region
North Region: Dryden, Sudbury
What is Happening in Ontario Today?
City/ Region including (N=16)
Community Organization (e.g. Social Planning Council; Community Development) (N=2)
Health Unit (e.g., District Health Unit, CCAC) (N=6)
Seniors Group (e.g., Council on Aging, Senior Advisory Committee) (N=5)
University (N=1)
Unknown (N=3)
Leadership Varies (based on contact information)
In many cases Public and Private are working together!
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What is the Ontario Government Doing to Promote Age-Friendly Cities & Communities
Age-friendly communities (AFCs) is a key component of Ontario’s Action Plan for Seniors
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Finding the Right FitAge-Friendly Community
Planning
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ContentsSection 1: Background
Section 2: Using this Guide
Section 3: Age-Friendly Community Dimensions
Section 4: Defining Local Principles
Section 5: Custom Needs Assessment
Section 6: Developing an Action Plan
Section 7: Implementation and Evaluation
Appendix I – V, Glossary, Business Tool
‘A society for all ages is multigenerational. It is not fragmented, with youths, adults and older persons going their separate ways. Rather, it is age-inclusive, with different generations recognizing – and acting upon – their commonality of interest.’
~ Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations
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The Four Steps of the AFC Process
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
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Is this your community?
Community 1Starting a local AFC
initiative
Read Sections 2 and 3 to learn about AFC planning, then focus on Section 4, which
presents tools for starting a local AFC
initiative
Community 2Developing a custom
needs assessment
Review the p-e fit concept and AFC
dimensions (Sections 2 and 3) and read
Section 5 to see how to create a custom needs assessment.
Community 3- Writing an Older
Adult Plan, -Implementing- Evaluation
See Section 6 and 7 for resources about
writing, implementing and evaluating an AFC action plan.
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Outdoor Spaces and Public Buildings
Transportation
Housing
Social Participation
Respect and Social Inclusion
Civic Participation and Employment
Communication and Information
Community Support and Health Services
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Section 4 Step 1: Defining Local Principles
Objectives Create structure around local
initiative Determine which AFC
dimensions are most relevant to your community
Tasks1. Form a steering committee2. Create guiding principles3. Build partnerships4. Create and age-friendly community profile5. Discuss priorities
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Section 5 Step 2: Custom Needs Assessments
Objectives Collect more detailed
information about age-friendly priorities in your community
Identify your community’s person-environment (p-e-) fit
Tasks1. Examine your tool set2. Create a draft list of questions3. Create person-environment question pairs4. Finalize the needs assessment
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Appendix III: Age-Friendly Community and Quality of Life Instrument Studies
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Create a Draft List of Questions
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Section 6Step 3: Developing an Action Plan
Objectives Lay out specific strategic
actions that address the key gaps in your community’s p-e fit
Tasks1. Analyze your needs assessment data2. Identify specific strategies that address gaps identified by your needs assessment3. Compile strategies into an action plan with specific goals and objectives
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Section 7Step 4: Implementation and Evaluation
Objectives Identify primary users Determine the purpose of your
evaluation – summative vs. formative
Identify methods and measurement
Interpret findings and make judgments
Develop future AFC plans Improve existing AFC action plan
Tasks1. Establish a direction for monitoring and evaluating the success of the plan2. Determine an appropriate monitoring mechanism3. Specific goals and objectives
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Additional Materials
Appendix I: Key ResourcesGlossary of AcronymsIs Your Business Age-Friendly?Reference List
COMMUNITY STORIES Acknowledging and learning from the successes of AFC initiatives is key to the continued success of the movement. To achieve this, the guide highlights ten case studies (pages 18, 26, 36, 44, 49, 55, 56, 59, 64 and 66) that explore different approaches communities have taken to improve their age-friendliness. Besides these, many community stories on the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) website (http://afc.uwaterloo.ca) discuss the positive effects that AFC planning is having across Ontario.
Older adults must be involved in all stages of the process.
To be successful, a-f initiatives must be both bottoms up and top down (City, Region, as well as community led seniors group).
It must involve multiple stakeholders, both public and private.
Look for Champions or advocates to champion AFC and build alliances Both outside the City and Inside
Be aware of current initiatives that may contribute to a-f (e.g. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Municipal Plans, Complete Streets, Vibrant Communities etc.)
Use an AFC lens to assess current policies and practices, organizations and services.
Some Lessons Learned in Moving to an Age-friendly Community AFC
Where is the accountability? Need a strategic older adult plan
to achieve AFC Need a community plan
Municipality responsible for infrastructure & some services Community responsible for other aspects
Two levels of government (City/Region) must develop an over arching strategy
Evaluation (need indicators, measures)
Sustainability AFC initiative must be sustainable across political regimes AFC must be sustainable over time.
Start up and core funding is critical.
continued
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Contact InformationMcMaster
University(Central & Eastern
Ontario)
Margaret Denton [email protected] ext
23923905-379-5099
Amanda [email protected]
Lakehead
University (Northeast/Northwest
Ontario)
Mary McGeownmmcgeown@lakeheadu.
ca 807-766-7123
Waterloo University(Western & Eastern Ontario)
John [email protected] ext 33185
Mark Groulx [email protected]
***Content Expert on Customized Needs Assessments Using the University of Waterloo Data Base