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Growing Age Friendly Communities – why not?
Growing Age
Friendly
Communities
– why not?
Ageism
…is the stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
towards people based on age.
Stereotype: What we think
Prejudice: How we feel
Discrimination: What we do
“Ageism is the last acceptable prejudice”
“ Ageism is the prejudice against our own
future selves”
“This Chair Rocks” – Ashton Applewhite, US Ageism Activist
“In an age friendly community, policies,
services, settings and structures support and
enable people to age actively.”
World Health Organisation 2007
World Health Organisation Global Network Age
Friendly Communities
• 990 cities and communities in 48 countries
• 14 affiliated country programs
• Reaching over 240 million people
• 2.5 million people
• 2.6 million km
People 60 years plus are 19% of population (26% in 2050)
• 73% live in Metropolitan Perth City
• 27% live in Country regions
• 50% born overseas
• 19% from Non-English speaking background
2006:
2008:
2012:
2017:
2017:
Partnered with Melville on pilot WHO AFC project
Grant program to support Local Governments to
undertake age-friendly planning
Released ‘An Age-Friendly WA: The Seniors
Strategic Planning Framework 2012-2017’
Affiliate membership for State to the WHO Global
Network
Evaluation of Age-Friendly Grants program
State Journey
• $777,000 to 82 local governments to support age-friendly planning since 2006
• Over half of WA’s local governments committed to implementing age-friendly principles
• Over 83% of Western Australians aged 60+ living in a local
government area that has received funding
• Age-friendly principles included in local government integrated
planning and reporting
• Elder Abuse Alliance
• Incorporating dementia-friendly principles
State Journey
World Health Organisation
Domains
• Outdoor spaces and Buildings
• Transport
• Housing
• Social Participation
• Respect and Inclusion
• Civic Participation and Employment
• Communication and Information
• Community Support and Health
Services
What’s happening already?
• Libraries
• Waste Services
• Recreation Services
• Accessible infrastructure – Footpath programs
• Council funding programs
• Access Advisory Groups
The Age Friendly Lens….
What’s happening already? Use existing plans
• Disability and Access
• Community Safety and Crime Prevention
• Health and Wellbeing
• Volunteer Management
• Emergency Management
• Reconciliation Action
The Age Friendly Lens…..
City of Melville
• Population: 102,000 people
• People over 60 years: 25%
• Aboriginal people: 0.7%
• People from Non-English speaking backgrounds (18%):
- Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese)
- Italian
- Indonesian
World Health Organisation
Domains
• Outdoor spaces and Buildings
• Transport
• Housing
• Social Participation
• Respect and Inclusion
• Civic Participation and
Employment
• Communication and Information
• Community Support and Health
Services
Engagement
• Over 2,300 participants 2013 – 2017
• Survey (hard copy and online, “Melville Talks”)
• One to one conversations
• Pop up engagement –talking to community
• Community Reference Group – older people, carers, different age
groups, male and female, aged care service providers
• Strategic Community Plan and Local Housing Strategy (Seniors)
• Collecting information via
culturally aware processes
• Art workshops facilitated by
Aboriginal people to gather
information over 16 week period
• Informal story telling sessions to
gather information
Age-Friendly Planning - Melville
Priorities
• Respect, Inclusion and Social
Participation
• Transport
• Housing
Challenges
• Socially isolated older people (how to engage and involve)
• Provision of information
• High number of people living with dementia (second
highest local government community in Western
Australia); 80% of people living with dementia live in the
community
• Feedback regarding retail/shopping experiences not
inclusive and lack of awareness regarding dementia
MAFAB
Memory Café
Sonder
Sonder
“the realisation that each random passer-by is
living a life as vivid and complex as your own."
Age-Friendly & Dementia-Friendly
• Not an “either” “or” decision
• Dementia-friendly part of being age-friendly
• Alzheimer’s WA work collaboratively with local
government sector regarding initiatives and approaches
• Partnership with Alzheimer’s WA, City of Melville,
Centre for Attitudinal Healing – Michael Verde
workshops 2015, 2017, 2019
Partnerships
Lovefest
• Partnership with Gay
Rights in Ageing
• A social photographer
captured the lives of
people living with
dementia and their loved
ones, exhibited in a large
shopping centre
• Workshops for aged care
providers
Recreation Services
Recreation Services – reducing barriers to participation
In supporting healthy ageing/falls prevention, an age
friendly scaled discount is offered to those over 70 years
(off peak memberships 11am – 3pm)
• 70 years 40% discount through to 90 years 90%
discount
Fit for Life
How do we know its working?
• Ongoing evaluation - surveys at
Seniors events, forums and other
community events
• Community Wellbeing Survey
• Wellbeing Scorecard
• Community Perceptions Survey
(Set benchmark 2018)
• Actions from AF Plan
LG Professionals WA Network
Age Friendly Communities
• Established March 2015
• Forums held each year:
→ WHO Age-Friendly Methodology
→ Age-Friendly Planning
→ Dementia-Friendly integration
→ Regional Forums
→ Connecting Communities (community development practice)
→ Injury prevention
→ Research Forum (engaging with universities)
Australian Forum November 2019
More Information
Age-Friendly Melville
www.melvillecity.com.au
https://www.melvillecity.com.au/our-community/age-friendly-
melville/living-well-with-dementia
WHO Age Friendly World
https://extranet.who.int/agefriendlyworld
Lovefest
https://www.museumoflove.com.au
Christine Young, Presenter
