Age and Ability Friendly Communities

The City of New Westminster is committed to creating an age and ability friendly city. More specifically, it is encouraging active aging and inclusion by optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security. In practical terms, an age and ability friendly city adapts its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older adults and persons with varying needs and capacities

Seniors Engagement Toolkit

The City of New Westminster, with funding support from the Union of BC Municipalities, has developed a Seniors Engagement Toolkit. The purpose of this toolkit is to increase civic engagement by seniors and to build confidence in City staff with regard to engaging seniors. The toolkit contains proven practices and techniques for engaging seniors and its use will help to ensure that civic policies, programs and services are more responsive to the needs of seniors. To ensure its application, City staff are receiving training in using the toolkit.

• Seniors Engagement Toolkit

Age Friendly City Initiative

To explore the concept of an age-friendly city, the City of New Westminster, through Social Planning, consulted with older people to be better understand their needs. To this end, they were asked to complete a ‘Checklist of Essential Features of Age Friendly Cities,’ which was developed by the World Health Organization as part of its Global Age Friendly Cities Project.

In total, 46 older people took the time to complete and return the checklist. The average age of respondents was 72, with the range being from 58 to 92. About 70% of respondents reported a disability or mobility limitation.

The checklist was primarily intended as the basis for the development of an age-friendly lens which would be used to inform planning and development in New Westminster. The results will also be shared with appropriate civic departments to address issues of a more immediate nature (e.g., inaccessible public places, potential trip hazards, etc.).

• Age Friendly City Initiative

Seniors Housing and Support Initiative

In December 2007, the City of New Westminster, with the assistance of the Seniors Services Task Force, submitted an application for pilot project funding under the Seniors’ Housing and Support Initiative, Local Government Program Services Branch.

As proposed, the project would improve access to and availability of information for seniors, enabling them to lead more active, healthy, independent and involved lives. It would also address the needs of isolated and marginalized seniors in New Westminster.

With regard to project outcomes:  

A database containing information on over 400 programs and services available to seniors in New Westminster was created and a website was developed to enable seniors and family members of seniors to easily access this information.

• A print directory containing information on over 200 programs and services available to seniors in New Westminster was distributed to about 16,000 households in the City.
• A series of resource and information fairs were held which involved over 40 service providers and 385 participants, the vast majority of which were seniors.

• Seniors’ Housing and Support Initiative