Calgary, AB,
23
October
2015
|
11:13
America/Denver

Calgary recognized as an age-friendly city

Today, The City of Calgary and its community partners celebrated the launch of the Seniors Age-Friendly Strategy, which outlines how Calgary will support older adults now and into the future. As a result of this work, Calgary is being recognized as an age-friendly city by the Province of Alberta.

Over the next three years, The City will work with community partners to help create community networks aligning six priority areas. These networks will be able to further work with Calgarians to address the concerns they have about living and aging in their communities.

“Building relationships and networks is going to be the way we are able to best respond to the needs of an aging population,” says Katie Black, director with Community & Neighbourhood Services. “When we plan our services and physical environments with this population in mind, we create an inclusive and accessible city for all of us to be as healthy and active as possible as we age.”

The six priority areas that The City and community partners, working with Calgarians, will focus on to help build an age-friendly city are:

  • Access to information and services
  • Community support and health
  • Housing
  • Participation and inclusion
  • Prevention of and response to elder abuse
  • Transportation and mobility

Calgary has over 106,500 seniors and that number is expected to be over 133,000 by 2016. In order to prepare for this changing demographic The City collaborated with older Calgarians, other levels of government, and members of the health, post-secondary, non-profit, and private sectors to develop a community-wide plan.

“I’ve been so excited to see the collaborative spirit demonstrated by everyone who is working on this,” says Black. “There is a strong belief in the importance of this work and among all the partners involved, and today has been a great celebration of what we will be able to do together.”

All Calgarians can participate in creating an age-friendly city. For ideas, inspiration or to sign up for quarterly newsletters, please visit Calgary.ca/agefriendly.