Success Factors
What will make Age Friendly City and County Programmes Successful
What is Needed?
Political Commitment
- The local authority leads the Age Friendly City or County Programme.
- Local elected representatives ratify it.
- Both give unanimous commitment to the values and principles set out in the Dublin Declaration on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in Europe (2013).
- Local elected representatives and the Local Community Development Committee engage actively with the Age Friendly Alliance, responding to resolve difficulties or barriers to the progress of the Age Friendly Programme
The Right People with the Right Attitudes
- The Age Friendly Alliance: involves senior leaders from key groups, such as the HSE, An Garda Síochána, Chambers of Commerce, third-level institutions, the local authority and others, who have sufficient influence and resources to develop and deliver an ambitious Age Friendly City or County Programme.
- The Age Friendly Programme is based on the effective collaboration of different statutory and non-statutory sectors and groups.
- The Age Friendly Programme involves age-proofing key public sector planning and policy documents.
A Shared Vision with Attainable, Measureable Goals
The Age Friendly Programme:
- is based on priorities identified through comprehensive and inclusive consultation with older people throughout the city or county includes a mapping exercise aimed at highlighting shortcomings in infrastructure and gaps in services
- provides opportunities for older people to challenge and influence the development of the Strategy during the drafting process.
The Age Friendly Strategy:
- has clear, measurable goals which make it easy to see if progress has been achieved
- goes through an annual or two-yearly review and self-assessment process, led by the Alliance
- is affiliated to the WHO Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities.
Older People are Central to the Programme
The Older Peoples Council
- reflects the diversity of the older population
- enables the participation of the most vulnerable older people
- is represented on the local City or County Alliance
- responds to the real concerns and issues of older people, identified through direct contact and consultation
- is directly and appropriately involved in monitoring the implementation of the Age Friendly Strategy
- is a recognised link group to the local Public Participation Network