What Does it Mean to be an Age-Friendly City? City Seeking Feedback From Seniors

The City of St. John’s is seeking feedback from seniors and those interested in seniors’ matters on what it means to live in an age-friendly city. Age-friendly environments allow all people to age well in a place that is right for them and contribute to their communities while enabling their independence and health.

“The City of St. John’s has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as being an age-friendly city,” says Councillor Debbie Hanlon. “We want to learn from residents about what an age-friendly city means to them and how they use the City’s programs and services.”

Feedback gathered from the public engagement process will allow the City to determine actions and priorities to support the WHO’s age friendly domains.

Engagement will be open from October 5 to November 4. A variety of tools will be available for seniors to provide feedback including through the project page at EngageStJohns.ca, by email at engage@stjohns.ca or call 311 and ask to speak to a member of the project team. Residents can also attend one of the following sessions.

Register at EngageStJohns.ca for the following:

• Virtual session via zoom: Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 7 to 8 p.m.
• Lunch and Learn: Thursday, Oct. 26 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Gleneyre Room 2, Paul Reynolds Community Centre. Learn more about public engagement and how to use the City’s online tools. A light lunch will be served, space is limited.
• In-person community session: Monday, Oct. 30 from 4 to 6 p.m., St. John’s Farmers’ Market. Refreshments will be provided.

 
Pop-Up Events:

Join us for a coffee and a chat, no registration required.

• Bidgood’s Supermarket: Monday, Oct. 16 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
• H.G.R. Mews Community Centre: Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Dominion Lake Avenue: Friday, Oct. 20 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
• Paul Reynolds Community Centre: Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The City has a strategic direction to be a Connected City where people feel connected, have a sense of belonging and are actively engaged in community life. Developing and delivering programs, services and public spaces that build safe, healthy and vibrant communities is key to advancing this direction.

Backgrounder: The World Health Organization (WHO) Age-Friendly Domains

The following is a list of WHO’s age-friendly domains.

Outdoor spaces and buildings
The outside environment and public buildings have a major impact on mobility, independence and quality of life as we age. Outdoor spaces and buildings in an age-friendly city will strive to be safe, accessible and comfortable for people of all ages.

Transportation
Affordable, reliable and convenient transport options enable older people to get out and about and continue to do things that matter to them. Whether it’s going shopping, meeting friends, or attending an appointment, good transport is essential to everyone.

Housing
The right housing and support can allow people to age comfortably and safe in their community. Poor housing can have an impact on health, but when housing is considered as part of the age-friendly approach, it can benefit physical and mental wellbeing, as well as social connections.

Social participation
Participating in leisure, cultural and spiritual activities in the community is important for health and wellbeing, a sense of belonging and good relationships. Without social participation, people can experience loneliness and isolation. An age-friendly city will work to make sure activities available are as financially, culturally and physically accessible as possible.

Respect and social inclusion
An age-friendly city enables people of all backgrounds to actively participate and treats everyone with respect, regardless of age. Despite “age” being a protected characteristic, ageism is still prevalent nationally, and age-friendly communities seek to challenge this.

Civic participation and employment
Age-friendly cities look to provide good-quality options for people in later life to continue to contribute to their communities including paid employment or voluntary work as well as being engaged in democracy.

Communication and information
Staying connected with events and people, and getting timely, practical information is important for all of us, especially as we get older. Age-friendly communities seek to ensure information is accessible for those with varying resources and abilities.

Community support and health services
As the older population grows, the need for community support and health services grows too. Alongside accessible and affordable health care services, community support and physical activity opportunities are strongly connected to good health and wellbeing throughout life.