Paper
Leading an Inclusive Aged Friendly Community
During 2017 – 18, 3Bridges has been co designing the Reframing Aging strategy with the input of the RAGE (Reframing Ageing Group Enablers). This group of well networked older people are participating in the design of the reframing aging strategy.
The reframing aging strategy is informed by the Report on Ageing and Health and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular items 3,4,8 and 16. During the first year the RAGE focus is on developing an age friendly community within the suburb of Carss Park. Part of the aged friendly community is the recently established Meeting Centre that 3Bridges Community is delivering in collaboration with Professor Rose-Marie Dröes, coordinator of the MEETINGDEM network, Department of Psychiatry, VU University medical center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This model is community driven and delivered with a person-centred approach. It is a fully integrated model intended to provide a variety of practical, emotional and social supports based on the adaptation-coping model for people with dementia and their caregivers The Meeting Centre is funded through a federal innovation grant and provides a new type of support for people with dementia and their informal carers. The program provides relatively low-cost, community driven, person-centred support. As the centre is funded for 2 years the RAGE group will collaborate with staff to plan for future sustainable service models within networked age friendly communities.
This paper will focus on the outlining how the following challenges are being met
- Methods for the development of a voluntary leadership team (RAGE) to guide the strategic reframing aging agenda that is informed by the WHO World Report on Aging and Health 2015
- Collaboration processes to ensure development of an aged friendly community with the RAGE leaders and the older residents being engaged throughout the planning, design and implementation
- Planning to sustain and leverage the example of the initial aged friendly community with key partners and stakeholders to extend across a wider connected local government area
- Planning to ensure networking with community, policy makers and local government to integrate learning and reframe service delivery, improve methods of engagement and participatory decision making ensuring that elders are leaders.
The agenda for RAGE includes a focus on the opportunities to enhance brain neuroplasticity for older people with a focus on creativity, intergenerational connections and brain training tools.