Age Friendly draft Strategy & Action Plan p9
Year 3 - THEME: Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
The outside environment and public buildings have a major impact on the mobility, independence and quality of life of people in later life.
Characteristics of the built environment aligned to being Age Friendly include public access and safety, green spaces, pavements and road crossings, parking, outdoor seating and accessible buildings.
Achievements to Date - Building on Foundations
In general people reported feeling safe about leaving their homes and spending time in outdoor parks and open spaces while baseline report findings also indicated positive experiences in relation to public buildings and staff being considered accessible and welcoming, providing a solid foundation from which to roll out further actions across the borough.
|
Issue identified |
How the Age Friendly Affiliation might achieve this |
Indicators | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessibility of outdoor spaces |
Accessibility/walkability audits of public spaces eg. Parks, shopping areas, mapped seating/WC’s. |
Audit template development and applied to 4 schemes per year. |
As we get older, we are heard, valued and respected and involved in decisions that affect us. Policy makers benefit from hearing the voice of older people. Older people within the borough are active, respected and supported in their community. |
Year 3 - 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 importance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community engagement |
Development of intergenerational programmes, including rural outreach. |
Number of programmes delivered and attendance. % of rural participants |
Policy makers benefit from hearing the voice of older people. Older people within the borough are active, respected and supported in their community. |
7. Next Steps
In terms of next steps in taking forward the Age Friendly strategy and action plan, the following are proposed:
- Establish Age Friendly Affiliation and agree Terms of Reference
- Facilitate workshop for Age Friendly Affiliation to review and approve draft strategy and action plan
- Circulate strategy and action plan for stakeholder/public consideration
- Review findings of public consultation
- Plan soft launch of Age friendly Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2027
- Schedule meetings agreed for Age Friendly Affiliation
- Implement Action plan
- Ongoing monitoring and regular review of progress, including seeking beneficiary feedback on a regular basis (at least annually)
It is proposed that these steps are undertaken across 2024/25 year, with a continual review and improvement cycle, to provide scope to respond to any emerging issues in the interim.
This will ensure that actions and resources are tailored to need and best placed to support older citizens across Mid and East Antrim lead fulfilling, active and rewarding lives.