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MAV State-wide Positive Ageing Forum March 2013. Creating Local Age Friendly Outcomes – the Western Australian experience. City of Melville 102,000 residents; 18 suburbs/neighbourhoods 22% population over 60 yrs ; Lone persons households – 27% by 2021; 32% population born overseas
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MAV State-wide Positive Ageing Forum March 2013 Creating Local Age Friendly Outcomes – the Western Australian experience
City of Melville • 102,000 residents; • 18 suburbs/neighbourhoods • 22% population over 60 yrs ; • Lone persons households – 27% by 2021; • 32% population born overseas (18% non-English speaking) • Period of urban refit
Melville’s Journey • 2006 – 2007 - City of Melville, participating City partnered with Department for Communities, Office of Seniors and Volunteering in WHO pilot. • 2007-2010 Age-Friendly Melville – Directions from Seniors • 2009 Membership to WHO Global Network of Age Friendly Communities • 2010-2012 Age-Friendly Melville – Directions from Seniors (reviewed)
Domains • Outdoor spaces and Buildings • Transport • Housing • Social Participation • Respect and Inclusion • Civic Participation and Employment • Communication and Information • Community Support and Health Services
Age- Friendly Melville Main Issues 2012 • Rising cost of living • Ability to maintain current property including gardens • Accessible and affordable aged care facilities • Car parking near service provision/shopping centres • Community Safety • Pedestrian difficulties • Appropriate seniors housing • Reduction in income
Important Learnings • Engagement of older people throughout planning, implementation and evaluation processes (age-friendly champions). • Consideration of “baby boomers” in research process. • Engagement of external stakeholders – government departments, private business and retail. • Early and ongoing engagement with organisational stakeholders (cross-organisational working group).
Into the organisation….. • Early information workshops for Elected Members • Presentation of evidence based research to Elected Members • Initial findings as an input to Community Planning process (2007)
Into the organisation….. • Age-Friendly Melville – Directions from Seniors (Strategies and Actions) 2007-2010; 2010-2012 • Incorporated into Business Plans (implemented, monitored) • Strategic Community Plan 2012-2022 –identifies age-friendly as objective of an accessible and inclusive community
Into the organisation - Being smarter • Identifying what is happening already - Libraries, Waste, NBN • Use Council funding programs • Marketing and branding • Collection of data – ongoing evaluation
Into the organisation – being smarter • Focus groups where appropriate • Staff resource - static • Community Champions (Neighbourhood Development) • ‘Finger on the pulse” – database • Internal champions
Into the organisation – use the overlap • Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan • Disability Access and Inclusion Plan • Health and Wellbeing Plan • Emergency Management Plan • Access Advisory Panel
Government of Western AustraliaDepartment for CommunitiesSeniors and Volunteering
Western Australia • History of involvement with World Health Organisation (WHO) • Partnership with City of Melville 2006/2007 WHO pilot • Support to WHO re Age Friendly Cities indicator development • Funding of rural trial – Shire of Augusta- Margaret River 2007/2008
Western Australia • Promotion with Melville of approach to south west region and metropolitan area (workshops) • Promotion across government (Director General’s forum) • Funding for 27 lga’s to undertake research • Collective examination of findings • Release of Age-Friendly Strategy 2012 • Facilitation of State AFC working group
Current status • An Age-Friendly WA Seniors Strategic Planning Framework • Department for Communities – Age Friendly Homes Checklist Kit – 2012 • Seniors Wellbeing Indicators - 2012
Western Australia Current status • 27 local governments (communities) funded by WA Department for Communities to use age-friendly approach. • 33% of the total seniors population in Western Australian are living in communities that have adopted age-friendly approach to strategic planning. • Of total number seniors in metropolitan Perth 42% live in age-friendly communities but of total living in rural/regional communities only 8% live in age-friendly communities.
(14) Non-metropolitan local governments • City of Mandurah • Shire of Augusta/Margaret River • Shire of Busselton • Shire of Capel • Shire of Carnarvon • Shire of Denmark • Shire of Dumbleyung • Shire of Lake Grace • Shire of Moora • Shire of Nannup • Shire of Wagin • Shire of West Arthur • Shire of Woodanilling • Shire of Williams
(13) Metropolitan local governments • City of Bayswater • City of Cockburn • City of Fremantle • City of Melville • City of Perth • City of Rockingham • City of Subiaco • City of Swan • Town of Kwinana • Town of Mosman Park • Town of Claremont • Shire of Peppermint Grove • Town of Cottesloe
Engagement participants recruited from: • Public housing tenants. • Hearing impaired community. • Different cultural Groups. • Indigenous people. • Different income levels • Caravan Park residents (trailer homes) “Grey Nomads” • Service providers / Carers • Single gender groups. • Socially isolated groups – Meals on Wheels recipients.
Indigenous engagement • Collecting information via culturally aware processes. • Art workshops facilitated by Aboriginal people to gather information over 16 week period. • Informal story telling sessions to gather information.
Collective Examination Indigenous • Breakdown of traditional culture (breakdown of respect for elders in decision making processes); • Lack of appropriate accommodation – sense of loss to their country if forced to move for health support; • Lack of health support (dialysis service support in rural/remote communities); and • Impact of racism
Collective Examination Rural communities: • Need for further consultation; • Footpath upgrades; • Lack of community transport; • Access issues highlighted; • Lack of appropriate aged housing options; and • Lack of forward planning by seniors for future options – “wait and see”.
Collective Examination - Initial findings Urban Communities: • Challenges of integration of actions to City planning; • Desire for focus on intergenerational projects; • Sustainability of actions; • Shared concerns relating to housing, transport, and health services; and • Lack of forward planning by seniors for future options.
Initial findings - overall • Positive feedback regarding current senior initiatives (free public transport, fuel cards for those living in the remote/rural areas, dependable public transport). • Sense of connection to current local neighbourhoods. • Highest domain rating for “Respect and Inclusion”. • Importance of volunteering to feeling valued. • Importance of local libraries for places of information.
Limitations • Low representation of carers, indigenous people, and those from non-English speaking backgrounds. • Over-representation of women. • Lack of visitor and / or worker profile. • Low representation of service providers. • Low representation of marginalised people. • Methodology favours those connected in communities.
How is information used? • State - analysis of significant trends; advocacy role across government. • Local - incorporated into strategic plans for ageing populations - development of specific local actions to respond to areas of priorities (further specific plans).
Benefits Benefits of Age-Friendly Cities Approach • Participants have heightened sense of being valued. • Shared research model. • Credible and evidence-based input to strategic planning for older people. • Development of co-ordinated approach with State and Local governments for planning for demographic change. • Engages seniors for next phases of consultations. • Benefits all community.
What next? • State support for strategic working party • Initial meeting held March 2013 with Department Local Government, LGA representation, WALGA, COTA WA, Department for Communities • Planned forum facilitated by COTA WA (funded by Dept Communities) May 2013 with lga’s to determine establishment of State AFC Network
What next? • WALGA investigating forums Local Govt Week (August 2013) aimed at Elected Members and Officers • Limited funding for future
Urgency for new business models • Sustainability. • Collaborative approaches, co-creation of solutions (shared outcomes). • “Top down, bottom up”. • Coordinated government
WHO Global Network Age Friendly Communities • ‘The Global Network now connects 135 cities and communities in 21 countries, with ten affiliated country programs reaching out to over a thousand more cities and communities working on age-friendly programs. This truly is a global movement “ March 2013
WHO Global Network March 2013 update Examples of AFC projects: • Walkways, over canals, roads, rivers (County Cavan, New York) • ‘Fashion is Ageless” –collaboration between seniors and young people (Alfândega da FéPortugal) • Hiking grandparents and grandchildren (Alfândega da FéPortugal) • Educational seminars – Californian Highway Patrol & Dept of Motor Vehicles “Age Well, Drive Well:” – City of Los Altos, CA
Examples of AFC projects • Transportation services, including difficult to reach places like the cemetery (Alpiarça, Portugal, New York); fixed-rate bus passes for older residents, regardless of distance (Akita, Japan); taxi vouchers for those eligible for the paratransit system (New York); transportation services (Flexibus – County Meath, Ireland)
Examples of AFC projects • Increasing size of street signage (Welland, Canada) • GIS-integrated emergency response for elderly people at risk (Akita, Japan) • Age-friendly cell-phone plans (New York) • Specific new building standards that are age-friendly (Kingston, Canada)
Opportunities • WA State network of LGA's Age-Friendly Communities. • Australian network. • Global network. • Investigation of next level of integration - Pilot of integrated approach for age-friendly communities (metropolitan and rural example) using input from Universities, Seniors peak bodies, service providers, government.
Learnings • Build on your strengths and what you have in place • Every plan looks different, every community has its differences • If you plan; implement ; report back and review • Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate • Brand / market your strategy • “From little things, big things grow”
Christine.young@melville.wa.gov.au • www.melvillecity.com.au • Age-Friendly Melville – Directions from Seniors www.communities.wa.gov.au -Western Australian Seniors Well-Being Indicators - Age-Friendly Communities: Collective Examination (June 2012) • www.agefriendlyworld.org