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Age-friendly communities create a healthier society for everyone

Older people do a great deal f or our communit ies It s t ime t o ask what communit ies are doing f or t hem
A version of this commentary appeared in the Vancouver Province, Winnipeg Free Press and the Halifax Chronicle Herald T he next time an older person reaches the cash register bef ore you and begins slowly counting her nickels and dimes, take the extra time to consider how welcome that senior f eels in your community. T hink about the bus steps she may have to climb with her purchases, the f ast-changing crosswalk outside the store thats built f or the young and spry. In some rural Canadian towns, those seniors now comprise 40 per cent of the population. Older people do a great deal f or communities. T heyre taxpayers and caregivers and without them, many communities would no longer be sustainable. Its time to turn the lens around and ask what communities are doing f or them. T he age-f riendliness of our cities and towns needs to become a priority. On October 15, a panel of international experts will meet in Winnipeg to discuss how the worlds rural and remote communities can be more age-f riendly. T he symposium, Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Communities and Places, f ollows a 2007 World Health Organization report that addresses the views of older people f rom every continent in the world. <http://www.who.int/ageing/age_f riendly_cities_guide/en/> T he problems are remarkably similar. Seniors everywhere said they need more accessible communities, better housing and more opportunities f or social engagement. T hey want clean, well-maintained environments in which to spend retirement. Some live in quiet neighbourhoods they enjoy, but others complain of poor public transit and impatient drivers. Providing age-f riendly spaces, such as parks and well-maintained sidewalks, permits seniors to become active, healthy members of society. Better streets also mean opportunities f or physical activity and social engagement. In short, a higher quality of lif e f or everyone. Looking at these issues in rural and remote communities is important because many are rapidly graying. Younger people leave to f ind employment; older generations stay behind. Access to af f ordable housing and transportation options, f or example, are major issues to address in these areas. In f act, access to af f ordable housing with the proper accommodations is a basic requirement f or good health. As more people move to urban areas, theres a tendency among city-dwellers to dismiss the needs of rural communities with small populations. However, our economy needs rural communities agriculture, f ishing, mining are all important parts of the Canadian f abric. T heref ore, its in everyones best interest to ensure

the sustainability of small towns by making them more liveable. Creating a positive environment begins with the very structure of our buildings. Many seniors have dif f iculty with stairs in public buildings but also in their own homes. In other words, age f riendliness reaches to the very design of our communities and organizations. Governments and planners need to put older peoples needs on the agenda lest a large proportion of our population become excluded. An older person may not leave the house if the curbs arent low enough to step over, or if there isnt enough seating on the street to stop and rest. T here are also small things we can all do to make our communities age-f riendly. We rarely slow down long enough to consider the needs of the older people around us. Whether its taking the time to speak more slowly or helping someone cross the street, everyone has a role in creating more inclusive communities f or seniors. And whats good f or the old is good f or the young, too. An age-f riendly community is more than a place that puts its seniors f irst. Its a f riendly community, period and thats something we should all be striving f or. Verena Menec is an expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca, a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, and Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba.