Age Friendly draft Strategy & Action Plan p7

MEA AGE Friendly Affiliation

Action Plan (draft working document) 2024-2027

Year 1 - THEME: Transport

Transportation, including accessible and affordable public transport, is a key issue for people in later life.

People’s ability to move about in their locality will impact on their participation in and access to services.

Transport infrastructure and services are integral to creating an Age Friendly Community.

Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations

While the baseline report found that public transport was viewed positively in terms of both safety and easy to find information, there is scope for improvement on timetabling and routes.

The baseline also identified a trend across the borough toward using one’s own transport among those responding.

Issue identified	How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this	Indicators	Outcomes
Access to services, including rural communities	Share information and undertake a mapping exercise to see what public and community transport is available and where. Focus on engagement work, exploring how to add value to existing transport provision and work in partnership to address gaps. Support community transport organisations to build capacity.	Information sharing and mapping exercise in borough undertaken.	Older persons benefit from integrated, accessible and sustainable transport. Older persons are able to participate meaningfully in community life.

Issue identified

How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this

Indicators

Outcomes

Access to services, including rural communities

Share information and undertake a mapping exercise to see what public and community transport is available and where.

Focus on engagement work, exploring how to add value to existing transport provision and work in partnership to address gaps.

Support community transport organisations to build capacity.

Information sharing and mapping exercise in borough undertaken.

Older persons benefit from integrated, accessible and sustainable transport.

Older persons are able to participate meaningfully in community life.

Year 1 - THEME: Housing

Safe, good quality homes are integral to maintaining and supporting health and wellbeing and community connections.

This requires provision of housing to enable people to grow older in comfort and safety in the community of their choice, supported by co-designed health and well-being solutions.

Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations

Support for home safety and security schemes has impacted positively on older people as evidenced during consultation on the baseline report.

Projects such as the Handyman service delivered by MEAAP, NIHE Energy Advice Line, AgeNI Independent living advice and Volunteer NI warm space initiative illustrate the work underway to date under the Housing domain and highlight the need to avoid duplication/displacement.

These schemes should continue, especially given the borough’s ageing population and provide a framework for further work on home safety and energy efficiency given current cost of living challenges, building on work undertaken through the Affordable Warmth Scheme, NIFRS smoke alarm checks and Council’s Energy Efficiency Advice Service.

Issue identified	How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this	Indicators	Outcomes
Home energy costs/ cost of living concerns	Explore partnership Initiative to connect older people to range of services to support them to make their home more energy efficient.	% increase in uptake of energy efficiency advice % increase in uptake of grant schemes	Older persons are supported to live independently in their own homes for longer.
Home maintenance and safety	Explore partnership initiative to better connect older people to range of services which can support them to make their home safe.	% increase in uptake of home safety visits % increase in uptake of Agewell Handyman and home security scheme.	Older persons are supported to live independently in their own homes for longer.

Issue identified

How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this

Indicators

Outcomes

Home energy costs/ cost of living concerns

Explore partnership Initiative to connect older people to range of services to support them to make their home more energy efficient.

% increase in uptake of energy efficiency advice

% increase in uptake of grant schemes

Older persons are supported to live independently in their own homes for longer.

Home maintenance and safety

Explore partnership initiative to better connect older people to range of services which can support them to make their home safe.

% increase in uptake of home safety visits

% increase in uptake of Agewell Handyman and home security scheme.

Older persons are supported to live independently in their own homes for longer.

Year 1 - THEME: Civic Participation and Employment

Age Friendly communities provide opportunities for people in later life to continue to contribute to their communities.

Those options can include community and local based interventions to engage the ageing population such as volunteering, mentoring or employment.

Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations

Progress under this theme can be achieved through promotion of re-skilling and training opportunities currently available to older people and Council is already undertaking relevant actions such as the Economic Development Department’s digital and technical skills programmes.

The work of other agencies can also contribute to civic participation and employment e.g. promoting awareness of Libraries NI’s ICT resources (access, training and staff assistance).

Issue identified	How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this	Indicators	Outcomes
There is a need for an Age Friendly Alliance/Partnership to take ownership of the Age Friendly Agenda within Mid and East Antrim	Convene an Age Friendly Affiliation with representation from statutory, voluntary and community sectors to implement the strategy and action plan, including appointing Age Friendly champions/ambassadors across the borough. All AF Affiliation members to work together to ensure full engagement and ownership and commit to actively participate to ensure action plan delivery.	Establish an Age Friendly Affiliation, develop Terms of Reference and a schedule of meetings. All members to sign agreed Terms of Reference.	As we get older, we are heard, valued and respected and involved in decisions that affect us.

Issue identified

How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this

Indicators

Outcomes

There is a need for an Age Friendly Alliance/Partnership to take ownership of the Age Friendly Agenda within Mid and East Antrim

Convene an Age Friendly Affiliation with representation from statutory, voluntary and community sectors to implement the strategy and action plan, including appointing Age Friendly champions/ambassadors across the borough.

All AF Affiliation members to work together to ensure full engagement and ownership and commit to actively participate to ensure action plan delivery.

Establish an Age Friendly Affiliation, develop Terms of Reference and a schedule of meetings.

All members to sign agreed Terms of Reference.

As we get older, we are heard, valued and respected and involved in decisions that affect us.

Year 1 - THEME: Social Participation

Social participation is strongly connected to good health and wellbeing; it is important to enable people to feel connected and have a sense of belonging with the ability to maintain or establish supportive and caring relationships.

Enabling accessibility, particularly for those with mobility issues, is also key to supporting social participation.

Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations

Valuable progress has been undertaken to date in the form of Good Morning and luncheon clubs as participation tools in addition to initiatives such as Chatty Benches and Chatty Cafés.

The action plan is an opportunity to sustain and further develop these actions, recognising the impact they have had on our older population.

Issue identified	How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this	Indicators	Outcomes
Inclusion	Evaluation of existing initiatives such as Warm Centres, Kindness Post box, Chatty benches, chatty Cafes, chatty walks, especially in rural areas. Mapping of current sites and initiatives.	Scheme evaluations and mapping exercises completed.	Our older people are able to participate meaningfully in community life through accessible and welcoming public spaces.
Accessibility	Share “See things from my age” resource to all Affiliation members to raise awareness of Age Friendly.	Resource circulated to all members.	Our older people are able to participate meaningfully in community life through accessible and welcoming public spaces.

Issue identified

How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this

Indicators

Outcomes

Inclusion

Evaluation of existing initiatives such as Warm Centres, Kindness Post box, Chatty benches, chatty Cafes, chatty walks, especially in rural areas.

Mapping of current sites and initiatives.

Scheme evaluations and mapping exercises completed.

Our older people are able to participate meaningfully in community life through accessible and welcoming public spaces.

Accessibility

Share “See things from my age” resource to all Affiliation members to raise awareness of Age Friendly.

Resource circulated to all members.

Our older people are able to participate meaningfully in community life through accessible and welcoming public spaces.

Year 1 - THEME: Respect and Social Inclusion

An Age Friendly community enables people of all backgrounds to actively participate and treats everyone with respect, regardless of age with intergenerational activities being one way for different generations to learn from one another and develop connections.

Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations

Inter-generational work provides a valuable mechanism for inclusion and building respect across generations. Initiatives such as Linking Generations Intergenerational Parliaments (facilitated by MEAAP/NIHE) demonstrate the impact of this work and should continue to be supported as part of a social inclusion model.

Avoiding duplication by working in partnership with established bodies such as MEAAP will ensure best use of resources and maximising opportunities for building respect and social inclusion.

The important of meaningful consultation processes by public bodies with older people to identify need and identify the barriers to participation which face older people was identified through baseline consultation informing this domain.

Issue identified	How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this	Indicators	Outcomes
Hearing older people’s voices	Establish and promote an Older Persons’ Forum with representatives across the borough, supporting them to build capacity to represent the voice of older people.	Establishment of an Older Persons’ Forum, develop Terms of Reference and a schedule of meetings.	Our older people are heard, valued and respected plus involved in decisions that affect them.
Inclusion and respect	Develop a simple accreditation scheme for premises to become Age Friendly to include staff training, age friendly assessments, JAM cards and accessible toilet facilities.	Accreditation Scheme Developed with view to roll out in year 2.	Older persons are able to participate meaningfully in community life.

Year 1 - THEME: Communication and Information

Staying connected with events and people and receiving relevant information to meet personal needs is vital for active ageing.

It is important that information is up to date, practical and accessible to all.

Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations

Ongoing work in relation to internet safety and support to address the threat of scams delivered by MEAAP with support from Community Planning was identified as being very effective in the baseline report.

It is important that such work continues, alongside Age Friendly awareness raising and facilitation with Council departments which has been delivered by MEAAP.

In addition, MEAAP’s “My Easy App” is an important tool in building digital skills and confidence.

Issue identified	How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this	Indicators	Outcomes
Communicating Effectively with older persons	Focus group with Older persons eg. Through Older Persons’ Forum to hear their views on digital transformation and recognising the threat of digital exclusion.	Number of older people participating in focus group.	As we get older we are well informed about things that matter to us.
Staying connected	Affiliation members to contribute to and share online directories such as Population Plus to raise awareness of the network of support, services and providers within the borough.	% increase in organisations actively contributing to and sharing online directories.	As we get older we are well informed about things that matter to us.

Year 1 - THEME: Community Support and Health Services

Community support is linked to good health and wellbeing throughout life, alongside accessible and affordable health care services.

Access to and availability of services is crucial to maintain health and independence and sustainable communities.

Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations

Through its IMPACTAgewell community development integrated care project, MEAAP has undertaken much work in this domain, working with older people through a range of actions including social prescribing using a hub health delivery model in partnership with NHSCT and Community Pharmacies. In addition, MEAAP operates the Community Navigator service in partnership with NHSCT, offering a signposting service for people aged over 50.

This model and experience should be considered and inform any future plans for community support and health services.

Issue identified	How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this	Indicators	Outcomes
Health programmes	Promotion of affordable health and fitness programmes/activities for older people, including physical activity classes and mental health projects.	Number of older people participating in focus group.	As we get older we are well informed about things that matter to us.

Age Friendly draft Strategy & Action Plan