Age Friendly draft Strategy & Action Plan
Age Friendly Strategy & Action Plan 2024-2027 Consultation Document
Contents
2. Context for the Age Friendly Strategy
Appendicies - available on the downloadable document (PDF 3MB)
1. Introduction
The World Health Organisation has long recognised that age-friendly environments foster healthy and active ageing.
They enable older people to age safely in a place that is right for them, be free from poverty, continue to develop personally and to contribute to their communities while retaining autonomy, health and dignity.
Because older people know best what they need, they are at the centre of any effort to create a more age-friendly world.
The physical and social environments in our towns, villages and communities are powerful influences on the experience of ageing and the opportunities that ageing affords.
The Institute of Public Health report Ageing and Public Health notes that people worldwide are living longer than ever, with life expectancy in NI having risen by several decades in the last 100 years.
The number of people in NI aged 65 or more rose by over 60,000, to almost a 25% increase from 2011 and demonstrates the scale of population change due to ageing (NISRA 2022).
Age Friendly Profile in Mid and East Antrim
Mid and East Antrim has a population of almost 140,000 people, covering an area of just over 400 square miles.
A detailed illustration of the population of Mid and East Antrim Borough is available through NINIS, however among the socio-economic characteristics of the area, the following are particularly relevant to older people and the development of an Age Friendly society:
Census 2021 data calculates the Mid and East Antrim population aged 65+ at 19.7% compared to a NI average of 17.1%.
Total borough population was 138,994, an increase of 1.3% from 2015 with the 65+ age group experiencing a 1.6% increase from 2015 (18.1%)
Health
Residents aged 65+ in MEABC reporting:
| Very good health | 16.5% |
|---|---|
| Good health | 36.4% |
| Fair health | 32% |
| Bad health | 11.3% |
| Very bad health | 3.8% |
- 11.6% of residents aged 65+ provide unpaid care
- • 4.8% of residents aged 65+ years have a mobility or dexterity difficulty that requires the use of a wheelchair
Residents aged 65+ in MEABC reporting long-term health problem or disability which limits day-to-day activities:
| Limited a lot | 24.77% |
| Limited a little | 29.16% |
| Not limited | 46.07% |
Projected Population
NINIS projects that the population of Mid and East Antrim aged 60+ is expected to rise to 46,768 by 2043.
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy for males in Mid and East Antrim for 2017-2019 was 79.1 years, and females was 82.7 years, broadly in line with the NI average.
The production of an Age Friendly Strategy for Mid and East Antrim is a key step to ensuring that our borough aligns with the WHO vision of an age friendly environment, where we can celebrate vibrant, inclusive and cohesive communities, where our people feel safe and our older people live healthy, active lives.
Within our borough, we have strong and proud communities with a tradition of helping each other as well as supporting themselves.
Our Community Plan, ‘Putting People First’, outlines a long-term vision for Mid and East Antrim where our borough will be a strong, vibrant, safe and inclusive community where people work together to improve the quality of life for all.
The vision detailed in this document derive from the thoughts and opinions of older people in this area but also aligns with the strategic aims of the World Health Organisation, the NI Executive’s Active Ageing Strategy, the DHSSPS Making Life Better ten-year Strategy 2013 and Mid and East Antrim’s Community Plan.
This Age Friendly Strategy and Action plan aims to engrain the inclusion of older people in all aspects of community life, ensuring our people feel safe in their community, have a sense of belonging to the area and ensuring that Mid and East Antrim is an enjoyable place for older people to live.
The strategy development was commissioned by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (MEABC) with support from the Public Health Agency (PHA) and informed by consultation with both older people and stakeholders across the sector.
It provides a framework for working in partnership, recognising the cross-cutting nature of the Age Friendly agenda, impacting across sectors and remits.
The action plan will be taken forward by a Borough wide Age Friendly Affiliation which will take ownership of the strategy and provide direction on implementing actions.
Council will adopt the role of civic facilitator, working in partnership with Age Friendly Affiliation members on strategy implementation to ensure co- ordination of energy and resources.
This strategy is not the sole responsibility of one body but rather provides a collective framework for pooling experiences and skills.
It recognises both the benefits of an Age Friendly borough for all citizens and the work already underway in establishing that vision.
The strategy also aligns with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) eight Age Friendly domains and sets out its action plans accordingly, recognising the value in the strategic nature of the WHO approach.
The baseline report accompanying this strategy and action plan provides a robust body of evidence for strategic intervention and recognises the value and significance of work undertaken to date, including by Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership (MEAAP) as the local Age sector interagency based partnership, in addition to bodies such as Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) and PHA.
It seeks to build on the work undertaken and achievements to date, providing a framework for further action that aligns with, and compliments the WHO Age Friendly model, established regional networks and policy context at a local level, including Mid and East Antrim’s Community Plan.
The co-design of a three-year action plan provides opportunity alongside the establishment of an Affiliation to add value, strengthen engagement with and on behalf of older people and avoid duplication of resources.
Through an Age Friendly Affiliation of equal partners, older people across Mid and East Antrim will be supported to lead healthy, rewarding and active lives to the benefit of all citizens.