Age-friendly Cities and Communities

Globally, age-friendly cities, communities, and practices have become synonymous with an ageing population – building communities that will foster active ageing, removing physical and social barriers, and promoting independence. Age-friendly cities and communities are adaptive throughout its structures and services, in order to increase accessibility and inclusivity of all people within a community, regardless of needs and capacities, particularly the older populations.

International Age-Friendly Networking in Brisbane

The IFA and COTA Queensland in collaboration with WHO will be building on the success of the 2nd International Conference on Age-Friendly Cities in Quebec (September 2013) through a specific Conference track on Age Friendly Cities and Communities within the IFA 13th Global Conference on Ageing on 21-23 June 2016 in Brisbane, Australia.

This will be the primary global opportunity in 2015 / 2016 to share AFC policy, programs and practices with colleagues from across the globe and to help build a sustainable AFC knowledge mobilization network.

Age-friendly Environments – Islamic Republic of Iran

Recognizing population ageing as an emerging issue, in 2014 the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 5th country Program in I.R. Iran established a partnership with the Secretariat of the National Council of the Elderly (SNCE) to develop a national strategic plan for the elderly.

IFA together with HelpAge International provided consultancy advice on Age Friendly Environments and the AgeWatch Index in I.R. Iran to ~ 70 participants from government, municipalities, NGOs and academics in November

Over the course of nearly 4 days (8-12 November) the IFA delivered educational sessions on age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC) comprising of: Overview and Framework; Guiding Principles for Sustainability; International Case Studies; Videos of existing global/city initiatives; Applying Learnings in Tehran; and a Review of the IFA Age Friendly Resource Manual.

If you are interested in these workshops by the IFA, please contact Mr. Greg Shaw (gshaw@ifa-fiv.org). Read more about the Age-Friendly Environments Workshop.

Age-Friendly Universities “Engaging Ageing”

Dublin City University (DCU) became the first third-level institution to adopt the concept and principles of an Age-Friendly University in 2012.

DCU’s commitment is to lead and highlight the role that universities can play in responding to challenges and opportunities associated with the ageing demographic of the 21st century.

The first international age-friendly universities conference was convened on 2-3 November 2015 in collaboration with international partners, Arizona State University and Strathclyde University. The keynote address was given by Dr. Jane Barratt, Secretary General of the IFA.

Read Dr. Barratt’s presentation here.

Partnerships and Learning

Grantmakers in Aging (GIA)

2014

Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) initiated a collaboration with the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) to help build and strengthen the capacity of five Community AGEnda Sites: Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; and Indiana. In this partnership, the IFA developed two webinars designed to address some of the fundamental challenges experienced by all communities and an environmental scan that was used to inform targeted strategies toward capacity building efforts within each community. The environmental scan was conducted and results used as a road map to tailor support in accordance with the specific needs of each community and the annual goals of the community. Access live recordings of the webinars here:

• Webinar 101: The Political Environment of Age-Friendliness
• Webinar 102: Longevity is Power – Economic Power

There was an emphasis across all communities to promote the importance of intergenerational programs emphasizing the importance of including all ages and not just the ageing population, which is the original intent of the age-friendly concept.

2015

Building on the successful collaboration between the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) from 2014, the continued partnership explores targeted interest areas through the development of a second webinar series around Age-friendly Cities and Communities. Webinars in this series (“Series 2.0”) are structured towards individuals and agencies who have more than a basic understanding of AFCC programs and who have the experience to contribute to the dialogue that will happen around each webinar.

• Webinar 201: How to engage with decision-makers for a more sustainable Age-friendly City and Community (AFCC)
• Webinar 202: Walking the Age-friendly Talk – Case Studies
• Webinar 203: AFCC Program Strategies and Implementation – A Government Perspective

The webinars and presentation slides are available in the Members Section and on our Bookstore for purchase.

The following  Age-Friendly Communities Resource Manual also includes a number of resources to assist in the development of age-friendly initiatives.  The Manual contains links to a range of resources in the categories below: 1. Positive Economic Impact of Age-Friendly Communities 2. Toolkits, Guidelines and Resource Manuals 3. Promote the Age-Friendly Project 4. Tools to Evaluate the Age-Friendly Process