Summary

We have determined how suitable a neighbourhood is for more elderly residents.

Definition

We refer to age appropriate areas as those suitable for elderly residents, whom we define as those residents over 65 years old. This ‘appropriateness’ is determined through the prevalence of the following factors:

A score is given depending on the percentile that the selected postcode falls into for each of the specified factors, and those scores are totalled, providing the selected postcode with an overall score for the appropriateness of an area for elderly residents.

At Walulel believe that incorporating what elderly residents need when designing cities will not only benefit the old but also the younger generational groups.

General Commentary

Ageing is positive, demonstrating increases to life expectancy through advances in health and social care, as well as dietary and environmental improvements, and mainly, it simply demonstrates that people are able to enjoy a healthy, fulfilling life for longer. Yet it is also challenging, as with age comes increased social and healthcare needs and an increased need for easy access to services. The quality of life for over 65s is influenced by certain public provisions and should be supported by local infrastructure designed to accommodate their needs. The question of how age-friendly neighbourhoods are for some older people and how some find it difficult to thrive in the city is often left unanswered.

At Walulel, in addressing these questions, we have considered indicators which contribute to an age-friendly environment and grouped them into six categories. These categories are economic, social, health, movability, safety and recreational. Indicators within categories are weighted. Total weights are harmonised to give a detailed description of neighbourhood performance in age-friendliness.

Why the metric matters from commercial inhabitant’s perspective

As demography shifts, spiralling health costs and questions about the adequacy of public and private pension programs and retirement funds rightly cause concern. With growing populations, older adults represent a dynamic emerging market and human capital resource. As markets evolve to meet their needs and aspirations, opportunities abound. For commercial inhabitants therefore, age-friendliness is an important factor to consider. This is will attract pharmacies and other allied health service who will set up to provide services for the aged.

Why the metric matters from residential inhabitant’s perspective

An age-friendly city doesn’t necessarily mean “elderly friendly” but involves barrier-free buildings, streets that enhance the mobility and people with disabilities independence. Age-friendly cities provide the elderly an avenue to confidently participate in physical activities and partake in leisure at places of convenience.

There is less stress on families when their older members have the community support, health services and other social amenities they need. When a community has a good number of old people, everyone benefits from the participation of older people in voluntary or paid work, accessible amenities, as well as from the general sense of community.

Health

As part of promoting the health needs of older citizens, measures must be put in place to ensure they receive quality health care. This protects them from threats to health.

We at Walulel believe that the nearest possible distances to clinics, general practices and dispensaries will to some extent reduce these threats. For instance, the elderly can travel to a clinic within a 500m radius should there be emergencies rather than a clinic which is located beyond reach. Older residents find it easier living in neighbourhoods where they receive access to affordable and free healthcare.

Social

We at Walulel define the social category as one which gives the age breakdown for older residents as 65 years and above. People who fall within this category are classified as elderly. To avoid isolating people who fall within this age bracket, it is necessary to define the visions and interests of what this particular group of people expect from the society. This process enables us to put in place measures which can curb exclusions such as identity, social ties, economic, territorial and institutional. There is the need to understand the older population’s life when planning the city.

We at Walulel believe that people who fall within 65+ age need a friendly city.

Movability

Movability is dependent on walkability, urban islands, street connectivity, distance to nearest train station, and distance to nearest bus station.

We at Walulel believe that in improving the mobility of older residents, measures must be put in place to enhance these indicators. The senior members of society need to be able to make proper decisions for navigating their neighbourhood which can help extend life. Decisions such as providing bus and train stations within the shortest distance for the elderly, and vicinity to hard boundaries should be considered when building an age-friendly city. These processes reduce the threats posed to the health of older residents. Easy access to facilities and services such as medical facilities, libraries matters to those who are not very mobile.

Communities are greatly benefited by more elderly members and so those responsible for maintaining a neighbourhood must place value in enhancing their mobility.

Recreation

One of the most commonly mentioned age-friendly features is open and green space. People may have diverse reason why this is do but we at Walulel believe it can enhance activeness in older citizens since they can visit such accessible places for leisure. Having open and green spaces can serve as a meeting place to gather and share experiences and to interact with each other. Spaces with barriers that prevent older people from using them are doing them more harm than good.

Safety

Knowing how secure you are in an environment can strongly contribute to one’s willingness to move freely in a locality. This in turn affects old people’s independence, physical health, social integration and emotional well-being.

Regardless of the actual level of danger, concerns about security are expressed nearly everywhere, including in matters relating violence, crime, and drugs - going out at night is especially fearful for many older people.

A place is said to be safe only if it has low or no records of violent crimes.

Economic

Labour hours, house price affordability, residential rental price and age groups are the features we considered economic. When it comes to labour hours we mean to say if a large portion of the local population work more than 49 hours in a week then the place is not favourable for the age as the neighbourhood may be empty during the day. House price and rental price affordability is something the elderly care about since they can’t be spending a significant amount of their pension money on rent. A large number of those in the age group of 65 plus in an area gives the older people in that area a sense of belonging.

History

The age-friendly cities movement has its origins in the notion of active ageing, introduced in 1999, the United Nations’ Year of Older People. The active ageing framework has been incorporated in the policies of several nations (including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Norway, Japan, Singapore, and others) and the WHO has expanded the concept beyond labour force participation or physical activity, to include the idea that older people should have opportunities to participate in the “social, economic, cultural, spiritual, and civic affairs” (WHO, n.d.-b) of their communities. This naturally led to the possibility that modifications in the social and physical environment might promote active ageing.

In 2006, the WHO launched the age-friendly cities initiative. Noting that “older people are the ultimate experts on their own lives” (p. 7), the WHO (2007) and its partners held 158 focus groups in 33 cities across the globe. A total of 1,485 older adults participated in discussions designed to give a comprehensive assessment of their cities’ age-friendliness. Eight topics were addressed: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, respect and social inclusion, social participation, civic participation and employment, communication and information, and community support and health.

Trivia

In Akita, Japan, one in three people is aged over 65. The nations of China, India, Japan, the United States, Germany, and Russia have more than 50 percent of the world’s oldest people.