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December 2, 2011 News Release:
PROVINCE ANNOUNCES THIRTEEN MORE COMMUNITIES JOIN MANITOBA'S AGE-FRIENDLY MOVEMENT
Jan Legeros, Executive Director of LTCAM and Chair of the Village of Dunnottar Age Friendly Committee, along with the Secretary Treasurer, Doug Newberry participated in the Community Focus on Age Friendly "Armchair conversation" where 4 municipalities were asked questions by a moderator on their experiences, and then the floor was open to questions from all participants.
www.agefriendlymanitoba.ca
VISION
A community that:
Values and supports the contributions of older people;
celebrates diversity, refutes ageism and reduces inequities; and
provides opportunities for healthy choices that enhance independence and quality of life.
Age-friendly community milestones
On May 30, 2011, Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors Minister Jim Rondeau announced the province was celebrating Age-Friendly week. At the announcement, Minister Rondeau said the province has worked closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and other provinces to develop milestones for what it means to be an age-friendly community.
The milestones for age-friendly communities are as follows:
- establishing an advisory committee that includes the active engagement of older adults;
- securing a local municipal council resolution to actively support, promote and work towards becoming age-friendly;
- establishing a robust and concrete plan of action that includes a needs assessment developed with older adults;
- demonstrating commitment to action by publicly posting the action plan; and
- committing to measuring activities, reviewing results and reporting publicly on action plan outcomes.
Age-Friendly Manitoba – Creating a more Age-Friendly Community
In an age-friendly community, policies, programs and services are designed to make it easier for older adults to stay active and healthy, so they can continue to contribute economically and socially. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) developed and released its Age-Friendly cities model in 2007, communities across Canada and globally have developed action plans to become more age-friendly, recognizing that every effort benefits citizens of all ages.
Connections
Engagement Caregiver
Respect
Opportunities Well Being
Safety
Resources Access
World Health Organization (WHO)
In June 2005, the global age-friendly cities project was conceived at an international conference in Brazil. A year later, the project evolved into the global age-friendly cities project with 35 cities involved worldwide and 33 cities directly participating in age-friendly research. The participating cities were selected from both developed and non-developed countries and included four Canadian cities: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Saanich, British Columbia and Sherbrooke, Quebec.
The age-friendly research primarily involved older persons aged 60 years and over, who discussed their experiences in focus groups. Caregivers who care for older persons and service providers also participated. Nearly 1500 people took part in the focus groups between September 2006 and April 2007.
The discussions were centered on eight topics, or eight age-friendly dimensions, that are commonly referenced to during the community consultations. The eight age-friendly dimensions are as follows:
- Outdoor spaces & Buildings
- Transportation
- Housing
- Social participation
- Respect and social inclusion
- Civic participation and employment
- Communication and information
- Community support and health services
The research from the 33 cities was incorporated and published in the “Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide", released in 2008.
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