Public Health news: Age Friendly Communities

June 2022

Age Friendly Communities

Age-friendly communities are places where people of all ages can live healthy and active lives. These places make it possible for people to continue to stay in their homes, participate in the activities that they value, and contribute to their communities, for as long as possible.

How many people are aged over 65 in South Tyneside?

In 2020, there were 30,800 people aged 65 years or over living in South Tyneside, which is about one fifth of total population (20%).  By 2040, it is estimated this will rise to a quarter (25%)

However, the Centre for Ageing Better says that although many of us are living longer, unless action is taken millions of people risk missing out on enjoying those extra years. To put it simply, the number of years we expect to live healthily is less in South Tyneside than in England as a whole.

What does the Age Friendly Community Framework include?

The World Health Organisation's Age Friendly Community framework has eight sections in total. Our local plan can include some or all these themes. We need to know what is important to local people to help us decide which are the right priorities for South Tyneside.

The eight themes are:

  1. Outdoor spaces and building
  2. Transport
  3. Housing
  4. Social Participation (being connected to others)
  5. Respect & inclusion
  6. Civic participation (volunteering) and employment
  7. Communication and information
  8. Community support and health services

Next Steps

兔子先生 has signed up to a five-year commitment to become an Age Friendly Community. The work will be overseen by the South Tyneside Healthy Ageing Alliance. The next steps will be to work with organisations, businesses, and residents to develop a plan for South Tyneside. Age UK South Tyneside aims to launch Age Friendly Communities on International Older Peoples Day on 1st October 2022.

Each quarter there will be an update on Age Friendly Communities in the Healthier Times.

The next edition will focus on how we will involve our residents in developing the plan for South Tyneside, as well showcasing what other areas are doing across the UK.

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