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Age-Friendly Communities Create A Healthier Society For Everyone
Age-Friendly Communities Create A Healthier Society For Everyone
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the sustainability of small towns by making them more liveable. Creating a positive environment begins with the very structure of our buildings. Many seniors have dif f iculty with stairs in public buildings but also in their own homes. In other words, age f riendliness reaches to the very design of our communities and organizations. Governments and planners need to put older peoples needs on the agenda lest a large proportion of our population become excluded. An older person may not leave the house if the curbs arent low enough to step over, or if there isnt enough seating on the street to stop and rest. T here are also small things we can all do to make our communities age-f riendly. We rarely slow down long enough to consider the needs of the older people around us. Whether its taking the time to speak more slowly or helping someone cross the street, everyone has a role in creating more inclusive communities f or seniors. And whats good f or the old is good f or the young, too. An age-f riendly community is more than a place that puts its seniors f irst. Its a f riendly community, period and thats something we should all be striving f or. Verena Menec is an expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca, a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, and Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba.