Eight Major Aspects of an Age-Friendly Community

The WHO Global Age-Friendly Cities outlines the essential features of an age-friendly community, grouping them according to eight major domains or areas of focus of community life.

1. Outdoor Spaces & Buildings

• Does the natural and built environment help citizens of all ages and abilities get around easily and safely in the community and encourage active community participation?
  ( Think about parks, sidewalks, lighting, streets, stores.)

2. Transportation

• Can citizens get around the community conveniently and safely? (Think of those who are unable to drive or have varying physical abilities.)

3. Housing

• What housing options are available that suit varying needs and stages of life?
•  Is it safe and affordable and does it allow people of all ages and abilities to stay independent as their needs change?

4. Social Participation

• Do citizens have opportunities for developing and maintaining meaningful social networks in their neighbourhoods?
• Are the needs and preferences of all ages and abilities considered in planning by local governments, agencies and institutions?

5. Respect and Social Inclusion

• Are public services, media, commercial services, faith communities and civil society respectful of the diversity of the needs among citizens, including older adults, and willing to accommodate them in all aspects of society?

6. Civic Participation & Employment

• Are there opportunities available for citizens of all ages and abilities to participate in community decision making?
• What employment opportunities are available for citizens to contribute their experience and skills to the community in paid or unpaid work? (Include older adults and those with varying physical abilities.)

7. Communication & Information

• Are citizens aware of the diverse range of programs and services available within their community?
• Is information about what’s happening in the community accessible, readable and understandable?

8. Community Support and Health Services

• Does the community have local access to social and health services needed to stay healthy and independent?

8 Aspects of an Age Friendly Community – PDF

The experience of Canadian communities that have been making positive changes for a number of years has informed the development of five critical milestones on the way to becoming age-friendly.

This approach recognizes that communities have different needs and capacities in relation to the eight domains of an age-friendly community.

The Age Friendly Communities milestones are:

• Establish an Age-Friendly Committee
• Secure the support of your municipal government
• Assess the community, determining where Age-Friendly initiatives are needed
• Develop and implement an action plan
• Prepare to evaluate each stage of the project and each of its initiatives 

Click here for Graphic of Community Milestones

You can view or download our sample poster for becoming an Age-Friendly Community below. Select either a PDF or Word format.

Sample Poster – PDF 

Age-Friendly Sample Poster – Word

To view or download a copy of our sample resolution for Age-Friendly Communities please select from one of the files below.

Sample Resolution in PDF

Sample Resolution in Word

The time has come. You have assessed the situation. You have raised awareness in the community. You have received local government approval. You may find yourselves asking, “What can we do? What action should we take? How do we choose? Can we actually do anything??”

Yes, you can! But you need to use your logic and planning skills so that you don’t waste your efforts. You will need to describe what needs to be done and plan the strategies to make it happen. You need to realistically assess the situation and note any blocks or problems.

It most certainly is time to get your allies involved.

ACTION PLANNING TIPS

• Make each action specific and clear. This one always requires planners to dig deep into their thinking as they list the action. Ask yourselves if you can see clearly how this will happen – what steps will be taken and who can take them. Check with someone outside your planning group to see if they understand the action the way you intended.
• Have community members take ownership of the actions. Name the individual, task group or organization that will take responsibility for implementation. Sharing ownership enables the whole community to be a part of the positive change about to happen.
• Identify actions that could have relatively easy and early success. Acting on one initiative and celebrating its success gets momentum going.
• Don’t worry about the size of the initiative. Actions that seem small can be just as important as large initiatives involving many people. A number of small initiatives can add up to make a noticeable difference PLUS will involve people early.
• Identify short, medium and long-term priorities. Some actions will be relatively straight forward and others may require more coordination, human and financial resources. Age-Friendliness is not completed overnight. It really is a step-by-step journey. (While focusing on planting the trees, keep a picture of the lovely forest before you. But if the trees don’t get planted, the forest won’t appear.) 
• Seek out partners and give them opportunities to really contribute to the Age-Friendly movement in your community. Service Clubs, churches, businesses for whom being age-friendly will be an advantage, members of local government who have their own “pet projects” that would relate to Age-Friendly.
• Monitor the progress of the Age-Friendly actions. If the plans are clear and the expected outcomes are named and timelines set, you will be able to see if progress is being made. There will be surprises! When the action is diverted or blocked, assess what is happening and adjust the plan. Adjusting the plan usually means that it will be MORE effective, because it takes reality into account.

Our Action Plan template is an easy-to-use guide to help you create a more Age-Friendly Community. To download a copy, please select the following link.

Action Planning Template

Action Planning Worksheet

To download the PDF of our Age-Friendly Saskatchewan brochure, click here.

This is a tool that can be used to gather information about services and conditions in your community.

To access AF Assessment Tool, please click here.

This in-depth resource will guide you through the JOURNEY to becoming an Age-Friendly Community.

Click here to access the Guide.

We have added pages to the Guide. Click here for the Record Keeping & Evaluation addendum.

Communities that have been part of the Age-Friendly Saskatchewan initiative and have achieved the following Age-Friendly Milestones, set out by the World Health Organization, can apply for recognition by the province of Saskatchewan.

1. Establish an Age-Friendly Committee.
2. Secure the support of your municipal government.
3. Assess the community, determining where Age-Friendly initiatives are needed.
4. Develop, publicize and implement an action plan.

Applications should be made using the Community Recognition Resource which outlines the process and includes the applications form to be used. Applications will be evaluated by the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism.

The names of communities that are determined to be ready for recognition will be recommended to the Government of Saskatchewan. The application and recognition process will usually take place annually.

For more information, contact:  ssm@skseniorsmechanism.ca

Click here for the PDF of the Community Recognition Guide.