New web resource will help communities to ‘age better’

The online platform has been created to support the UK Network of Age-Friendly Communities – 19 cities and communities from Bristol to Belfast that have made a commitment to developing approaches, policies and practices that will help people to ‘age better’ in their areas.

Examples of initiatives being run by Age-Friendly Communities include:

• The Isle of Wight – Bus drivers, police and fire service staff have been trained to be more aware of the challenges facing older people so they can adapt their services to support them
• Nottingham and Manchester– Through the ‘Take a seat’ campaign, local businesses are offering their premises as a place for older people to sit down and take a break when they are out and about.

The new online resource will encourage Age-Friendly Communities to share learning about what approaches are working well – in their own areas and across the globe – and to provide guidance for communities outside of the network about how to better support their older residents. Over time, the platform will develop to include a range of resources including evidence reports, toolkits and training.

Anna Dixon, Chief Executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, said:

“More people living longer represents a huge opportunity for society, but it also means that the way the local environment and services are designed and how communities work together needs to change so that they can support their residents to have good quality later lives.

“This web resource will provide a hub for the UK Network of Age-Friendly Communities to share their learning and insight with each other, but also with other areas that want to make positive changes to their own services and systems and – we hope – commit to becoming age friendly too.”

Find out more about the UK Network of Age-Friendly Communities.