Becoming Age-Friendly

“An Age-friendly City is an inclusive and accessible urban environment that promotes active ageing”

The worldwide effort to create Age-Friendly cities and communities is now taking place in New Zealand. The initiative of the World Health Organisation, led by Alex Kalache Director of WHO Department of Ageing and Life Course (WHO-ALC) from 1995 to 2008, has engaged major cities such as London and New York. Smaller towns, cities and regions are also responding as the growing social and economic impact of population ageing becomes more widely understood. Local Government efforts to implement Age-Friendly policy approaches in urban environments provide real localized opportunity to influence the social and economic determinants of health for older people. Alex Kalache visited New Zealand in April-May 2012.

Efforts to develop integrated planning have been underway in the Western Bay of Plenty, where initiatives have resulted in Tauranga City deciding to become an Age-Friendly City. A strategy will be developed and implemented within the next ten year plan. This region has many retirement communities and a high proportion of older residents. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is also looking at its policy review processes and the potential for integration in the Regional Policy Statement. Western Bay of Plenty Council is also taking positive action within its community plans.

It is vital that Local Government Ten Year Plans that are being reviewed this year address the Age-Friendly policies, which will assist older people to maintain independence. Most Councils will only initiate new policy if identified in the Ten Year Plan.

A move to Age-Friendly initiatives is health prevention at the coal face. The possibilities for building supportive caring communities are enormous and urgent. We have found that there is a need to ‘grow’ a Council awareness of how small, financially manageable change, such a public transport routes, or street crossing light phases, or location of toilets, can have a large influence on people’s well-being and quality of life while contributing to significant long term impact on health budgets.

There is plenty of wonderful evidence available now on global age-friendly development. It is a sad indictment that Government leadership in New Zealand has failed to promote the social and economic gain from engaging Age-Friendly initiatives.

For more information visit the WHO website.

Carole Gordon