Hackney,
16
December
2020
|
12:34
Europe/London

"A great place to grow old" - new ageing well strategy approved

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The Council has committed to making Hackney an age-friendly borough as it's new Ageing Well Strategy was accepted at Cabinet on Monday (14 December). 

The Ageing Well Strategy sets out the Council’s vision for becoming an age-friendly borough where older residents feel empowered, informed, valued and supported through age-friendly communities and services and specialist care as the need arises. 

The strategy sets also outlines the approach the Council is taking to promote and accomplish this over the next five years. It is about catering for the wide range of people aged 55+ through age friendly policies, building a community that values and includes older people, benefits from their contributions and supports them in their later years. 

Cllr Yvonne Maxwell, Mayoral Advisor for Older People
We are committed to making Hackney an age-friendly borough, we want it to be a great place for people to grow old in. Everyone should be able to live as active, healthy, and fulfilling lives as possible, no matter what their age.
Cllr Yvonne Maxwell, Mayoral Advisor for Older People

The document has been created through community engagement sessions, which engaged around 400 residents, collating ideas drawing on people’s lived experiences of growing older in Hackney. The consultation was co-produced with a group of peer facilitators, recruited by Connect Hackney who worked with council officers on engagement and finalising the draft strategy. 

The strategy aims to provide and build on opportunities for greater intergenerational activity, social participation, civic inclusion and localised support through partnership working, including: 

  • utilising and promoting community assets, 
  • building digital skills through digital buddy schemes, 
  • reviewing the Council’s public realm furniture like benches, 
  • supporting and promoting volunteering, 
  • working with businesses to create more age friendly high streets, 
  • involving older people to co-produce solutions,
  • creating intergenerational programmes through work with Young Hackney, Hackney Youth Parliament, Hackney Young Futures Commission, schools and children's centres.

Part of the implementation of the ageing well strategy is its oversight and monitoring and we want to involve older residents to become a part of this. More on this will be available in the new year. 

Read the Ageing Well Strategy on the Council website. As not everyone is online, or if a resident has a family member, friend or neighbour who might be interested in reading Hackney's Ageing Well Strategy, people can contact 0208 356 4979 or policyprojects@hackney.gov.uk to receive a hard copy.