In 2007 the World Health Organisation (WHO) released the guide, National programmes for age-friendly cities and communities, identifying 8 core characteristics across the built and social environment that support ageing well, so people of all ages can live healthy and active later lives.
The WHO recommends a five-step approach to creating an age friendly community:
- Leadership commitment - Leaders in Lambeth express their commitment to developing an age friendly borough.
- Engage and understand - The age friendliness of Lambeth is assessed in collaboration with older people and other stakeholders. A steering group or committee is formed to oversee the developments.
- Plan and strategy development - Stakeholders develop a shared vision to determine the priorities for action and to plan and resource how the community will achieve it's age friendly outcomes. An 'Ageing Well' strategy is developed.
- Act and implement - Implement an action plan. Establish lead officers to monitor timeframes and governance arrangements.
- Evaluate - Collect evidence on both the progress of implementing the age friendly approach and its impact on local people's lives.
UK Network of Age Friendly Communities
The UK Network of Age Friendly Communities is a growing movement, with over 60 places across the country committed to making their community a better place to age in. Almost 25 million people are living in an Age Friendly Community, in places like Greater Manchester and Cardiff.
The Centre for Ageing Better works with the network to provide guidance, connect places and offer support to member communities as they work towards making their services and infrastructure more age friendly.
Lambeth Council has recently joined the UK network and will develop a local approach to becoming an age friendly borough, building on the WHO’s age friendly cities and communities framework.
Read about Lambeth's pledge to it's older residents.
