Lessons learned from a Canadian province-wide age-friendly initiative: the Age-Friendly Manitoba Initiative.
The Age-Friendly Manitoba Initiative was launched in 2008. A formative evaluation we conducted in 2011 with 44 participating rural and urban communities demonstrates considerable progress, with virtually all communities having formed an Age-Friendly Committee and conducting a community assessment to identify priorities for action. The majority of communities implemented one or more age-friendly projects. Major barriers to becoming age-friendly identified by participants included lack of funding; lack of capacity, particularly in small communities; and lack of leadership or direction. The study highlights the importance of strong leadership at all levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal); the need to support communities, particularly rural ones, as they try to become more age-friendly; and the importance of ongoing promotion of age-friendliness locally and more broadly (e.g., provincially).
a Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, and Director , Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada.
Verena H
VH
Menec
Sheila
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Novek
Dawn
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Veselyuk
Jennifer
J
McArthur
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008350:Manitoba; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012424:Rural Population; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014186:Transportation; D014505:Urban Population