Facing an aging population, the New Brunswick government is encouraging municipalities around the province to accommodate seniors through a recognition program.
The Age-Friendly Community Recognition Program will see cities and towns receive an award for creating more inclusive communities.
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“We want to encourage our rural and urban communities to build environments where seniors can age actively, live in security and enjoy good health,” said Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Lisa Harris.
To assist communities with becoming age-friendly, a resource guide has been developed by the Francophone Seniors Association which gives examples of how to better include seniors in city planning.
“Maybe it’s with lighting, maybe it’s with sidewalks, maybe it’s with initiatives where seniors know where to go to get help,” explained Harris. “This is a guide they can use that can transform their municipality into being age friendly and make sure that seniors needs are being met.”
At the launch of the initiative, councillor Eric Megarity spoke of the importance of taking seniors into account when crafting city plans.
“If you design for the young at heart you exclude the seniors — if you design for the seniors, the elderly, you design for everybody,” Megarity said.
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The guide outlines the criteria required to achieve age-friendly status.
Applications will be collected until the end of March.
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