Age Friendly Strategy & Action Plan 2024-2027 p9
Year 3
THEME: Outdoor Spaces & Buildings
The outside environment and public buildings have a major impact on the mobility, independence and quality of life for people in later life.
Characteristics of the built environment aligned with 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 Alliance might achieve this |
Indicators | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessibility of outdoor spaces |
Form a Task Group with input from Older People’s Forum to investigate and scope existing good practice for outdoor spaces Accessibility/ walkability audits of public spaces. |
Audit template development and applied to 4 schemes per year. Provide a report and recommendations following scoping exercise Complete walking audit in conjunction with Older Person’s Forum of one cemetery, one park, one public toilet and one leisure centre |
As people get older, they are heard, valued and respected and involved in decisions that affect them. Policy makers benefit from hearing the voice of older people. Older people within the borough are active, respected and supported in their community. |
THEME: Respect & 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 Intergenerational Parliaments 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 AGEWELL 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 Alliance might achieve this |
Indicators | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community engagement |
Encourage development of intergenerational programmes, including rural outreach in conjunction with Age Friendly Alliance partners. |
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. |
Year 3
It is proposed these steps are undertaken across 2026/27, with a continual review and improvement cycle, to provide scope for any to emerging issues in the interim.
This will ensure actions and resources are tailored to need and best placed to support older citizens across the borough lead fulfilling, active and rewarding lives.