Lisa Warth is a technical officer in the department of ageing and life course at the World Health Organization
Age-friendly does not depend on community size and location: It is about engagement with older people and what improvements are needed to ensure that there are no barriers to independent living and active involvement in community life. Rural communities might have greater challenges than cities with regard to transport and access to services but on the other hand there might be stronger social networks and support provided in the community that can help adapt to some of these local challenges.
Small solutions can make a big difference: Lack of public toilets is often mentioned as a key barrier to social participation in consultations with older people. New York City is running an age-friendly business project where participating local businesses give access to their toilets to older people, as well as providing chairs to rest.
Rachel Lee is policy and research coordinator for Living Streets
What is an age-friendly city? One that enables older people to remain active and engaged within their communities. Our streets should be welcoming places that are accessible for everyone. For older people that means well maintained pavements to avoid trip hazards, cleanliness, seating, provision of public toilets, local access to a range of local services (health, shopping, banks) and more.
There is a clear urban-rural divide: Most of us depend on the convenience and accessibility afforded by the car. Then one day, we can't drive anymore. In fact, the more difficulty people have getting around on foot, the more likely it is that they rely on walking as their main means of transport. Transport and car dependent lifestyles are key here. Rural areas not only rely on private transport more, but many people also commute to work. The ideal situation where older people have family living around them to offer support is also fast changing as people move to where the work is.
Janet Dean is co-author of Creating a Dementia-Friendly York, a Joseph Rowntree Foundation report
It is about more than the physical environment: The four cornerstones we identified for a dementia-friendly community, which I think will apply to age generally, are: place, including environment, housing and transport); people, including the social attitudes of the community generally and how people close to you treat you; resource, not just health and social care services but shops, leisure, faith resources; and networks – how people work together to support older people both nationally and locally.
Age-friendly does not mean unfriendly to other ages: Our research identified place as one of four cornerstones which might enable dementia-friendly cities. However, we found that many of the aspects of place which are good for people with dementia – a legible environment, clear signage, green spaces, manageable housing, reliable public transport with patient drivers – are good for everybody, whatever our age and our abilities.
Partnership between local authorities and community groups: What was really clear during a recent walkabout in Sheffield was the lack of collaboration and co-ordination between planners, transport planners, highways engineers and the community. Attempts to deal with parking on verges and joyriding had left the area peppered with bollards and a patchwork of coloured parking bays and red zones on the roads which we didn't really understand. Kerbs were dropped but mostly on three sides of a cross road, meaning you had to go a very long way round to cross the main road.
Stops and signs: Tactile paving at bus stops and crossing points are inconsistent as fashions and standards seem to change. The clearest signs are the original black on white road names fixed high up on houses. Community engagement schemes have produced a plethora of different styles of signage from brightly coloured totem poles to wood and steel structures. While decorative and fun, none of these are readable from across the road.
Paul McGarry has led Manchester council's Valuing Older People programme since 2003
'Dementia-friendly' is best seen as a dimension of age-friendly: I'm less convinced that dementia-friendly is any better defined than age-friendly though, and certainly an exclusive focus on dementia can lead to missing out wider community forces that can be harnessed, and there is a risk that older age becomes equated with dementia.
Professor June Andrews is director of the dementia services development centre at the University of Stirling
Better education for staff: Our research has shown in the past that even social and health care professionals do not get much education about how to care for people with dementia. So if we are thinking of having towns and cities where older people who are vulnerable are supported by the community, we need to be aware that the community cannot always rely on professional staff understanding their needs.
Diagnosing dementia: Research shows that many GPs tend to ignore dementia, rather than seeking a diagnosis, because they think that there is not much you can do, so in some parts of England only 30% of the people with dementia have been advised that this is their problem. In these areas many local services are working in the dark, unable to give the full range of support – and this includes police, libraries and leisure facilities, not just social workers.
Community involvement in design can be a help and a hinderance: I get frustrated when I ask architects why they have incorporated a not very dementia friendly idea and they say it was a result of a focus group or a public consultation. Involvement is all very well, but they don't have focus groups about plumbing or load bearing walls, so why do they do it with other important elements for which there is already research evidence and, in some cases, regulation?
Greg Lewis is Age UK's programme manager for communities and society
People age quicker in rural areas: The needs of older people should be a priority in rural proofing policy and services. Decisions made by all levels of government to fund services in rural areas cannot be based simply on cost and the number of people using the service; rather, a broader impact assessment needs to be carried out taking into account social impact.
Simon Peyton is Anchor's public affairs manager
Do we need a minister for older people? Wales has taken huge steps forward and I wonder if this is because they have a cabinet member with the responsibility for older people's issues. Our 'grey pride' campaign is calling for a minister for older people so that older people's issues, which are spread over different government departments, are co-ordinated in a holistic way by this minister rather than in silos.
You can read the discussion in full here.
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