We can’t avoid aging… but perhaps we can find better places to enjoy it?
More than one fifth of the world’s population will be over the age of 60 by 2050, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That’s more than 2 billion people and triple the number of older adults recorded in 2000. In Canada, the number of people over the age of 65 will double by 2036, says Statistics Canada.
Despite some dire warnings about the “grey tidal wave” and the upcoming “burden” of an aging population, don’t go looking for disaster. Statistics also show we’re living longer and enjoying more years of vitality. Far from being a drain on society, older adults are more proactive about their health, they’re staying in the workforce longer and keeping active in the community — and they’ll continue to do so with the right opportunities and support.
Enter age-friendly environments. By changing their policies, increasing opportunities for involvement, adapting the environment and even adjusting their attitudes, communities can reap the benefits of an active and engaged population.
“Older people are a vital, and often overlooked, resource for families and for society,” said Dr John Beard, Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at WHO, in a recent press release. “Their contribution will only be fully realized if they maintain their health and if the barriers that prevent them engaging in family and community life are broken down.”
Age-friendly cities — what’s the latest?
You’ve likely heard about age-friendly initiatives before. The WHO is behind the worldwide effort, and four Canadian cities participated in its initial Age-Friendly Cities Project (including Saanich, British Columbia, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Sherbrooke, Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia). The success of the project led to the creation of the recently launched Age-Friendly Cities Network. To be part of the network, cities must meet certain criteria and go through an approval process.
But don’t let the name “city” fool you . While the majority of the world’s population is predicted to live in urban environments in the coming decades, smaller communities are certainly part of the landscape — especially our landscape. In Canada, the federal government’s Age-Friendly Communities Initiative draws on both the WHO’s methodology and an initiative spearheaded in 2006 by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): the Friendly Rural and Remote Communities Initiative (which focuses on communities with a population of less than 5000 people).
Likewise, thanks to the success of its Age-Friendly Cities Project, the WHO expanded its program to include smaller communities, creating the Age-Friendly Environments Program.
