Age-Friendly Hamilton Program
The Hamilton Council on Aging (HCoA) has released a report to the community that outlines the Age-Friendly Initiative we have been working on in Hamilton.
Hamilton, A City for ALL Ages is the voice of over 300 seniors in our community who worked on this project in some way and gave input into the 92 recommendations you will review in the report. Please note that the Age-Friendly Advisory Committee will be working on moving these recommendations into a comprehensive action plan for Hamilton to move us forward to be a model Age-Friendly Community.
We have received the financial support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to implement this 2-year project. We are in our second year of funding and will continue working this year with strategic community engagement and action.
Over a number of years HCoA will lead a multi-sector community roundtable representing seniors, policy makers, planners, as well as business, community and neighbourhood leaders and others. This initiative will be informed by the eight sets of performance indicators developed and evaluated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as follows:
1. Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
2. Transportation
3. Housing
4. Social Participation
5. Respect and Social Inclusion
6. Civic Participation and Employment
7. Communication and Information
8. Community and Health Services
HCoA believes that making cities "age-friendly" is one of the
most effective policy approaches for responding to demographic aging.
A city that is "age-friendly" recognizes the many aspects of
urban settings and services that can contribute to the participation,
health, independence and security of older persons. Age-Friendly Cities
are communities in which the policies, services, and structures, related
to both the physical and social environment, support and enable older
people to "age actively" - that is, to live in a secure environment,
to maintain good health and continue to participate fully in society.
Funding for this project is provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation
Tackling Poverty Among Seniors in Hamilton
The intent of this program is to increase the number of qualifying seniors in Hamilton who are accessing income benefits such Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and other income security benefits to which they may be entiltled. This will occur through a combination of approaches including recruitment and training of senior volunteers to work with other seniors, marketing and outreach to eligible seniors and assistance to these seniors in applying to receive benefits.
Funding for this project is provided by the Hamilton Community Foundation
Improving Access to Health & Community Support Services for Seniors from Diverse Communities
This initiative will focus on addressing and eliminating barriers to accessing health and community support services for seniors from diverse communities in Hamilton. We intend to implement strategies to address issues such as language, social isolation, culture, transportation and other systemic barriers. Where appropriate, seniors from the diverse community will be recruited as volunteers to provide outreach to their own communities. At the same time, education to agencies and service providers will aim to improve their ability to address the needs of diverse seniors.
Funding for this program is provided by the United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton
For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering in either of these programs, please contact Shelagh Kiely, Project/Office Coordinator at (905) 777-3837, x12238 or kielys@hhsc.ca
