Age-friendly communities are those that are inclusive and accessible for people of all ages. This encompasses spaces and places, programs and initiatives that make a community better for all residents including children, young people, parents and seniors.
An age-friendly community is one that:
- recognises the great diversity among older people,
- promotes their inclusion and contribution in all areas of community life,
- respects their decisions and lifestyle choices, and
- anticipates and responds to age-related needs and preferences.
When developing an age-friendly community, older adults have the opportunity to have their opinions heard on services, supports, and activities that would enhance their lives and their community.
Communities has launched Creating Age-Friendly Communities in Western Australia, 2021 (also known as the Age-friendly Communities Toolkit)—a revised version of the original toolkit published in 2006.
Based on the World Health Organisation’s Global age-friendly cities: a guide (The Guide), the Toolkit establishes a best-practice benchmark for creating age-friendly communities, irrespective of population size or geographical location.
Age-friendly Community Grants Program
For grants and funding opportunities, visit the grants and funding page.
In September 2023 the following organisations were announced as recipients of Age-friendly Community Grants Program funding:
Organisation |
Region |
Project Name |
---|---|---|
Befriend |
Perth metropolitan wide |
The Gifts of our Elders |
Bremer Bay Community Resource Centre |
Great Southern region |
Information and Social Sessions |
Broome CIRCLE (Broome Community Information Resource Centre and Learning Exchange Inc) |
Kimberley region |
Community Connections, Local Legends, and Women’s Business |
City of Belmont |
South East metro |
Stories that Unite Us – Lets Connect |
City of Fremantle |
South West metro |
Sing, swing and mingle |
Dongara Community Resource Centre |
Mid West region |
SOS – Save our Stories, Save our Skills |
Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services Inc. |
North East and South East metro |
Connecting Communities |
Men’s Talk |
North West metro |
Gen Connect Program |
Multicultural Lions Club of WA |
South West Metro |
Wellness Café |
Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation |
Broome, Kimberley region |
Elder Abuse Working Group |
Shire of Carnarvon |
Gascoyne region |
Adapted Sports Program |
Shire of Cranbrook |
Great Southern region |
Strength for Life Program |
Shire of Cuballing |
Wheatbelt region |
Community Social Program |
Shire of Dardanup |
South West region |
Senior Digital Connection Program |
Shire of York |
Wheatbelt region |
Seniors Digital Information |
South West Aboriginal Medical Service |
South West region |
Aboriginal Men’s Program |
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre |
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre |
Marionettes and Memories |
Warnpurru Aboriginal Corporation |
Goldfields region |
Connecting Elders with Country |
Local Government Professionals Age-friendly Community Network
Local governments are perfectly placed to support and implement age-friendly communities due to the connection and knowledge of their local community.
Community Development officers that focus on enhancing the lives of older adults in their community are welcome to join the Local Government (LG) Professionals Age-friendly Network. The Network aims to increase awareness and understanding of age-friendly communities in Western Australia.
Find out more about LG Professionals Age-Friendly Network.
Age-friendly Home Maintenance Toolkit
To get the most out of your home, it is important to take a good look around and attend to any maintenance issues early. By doing so, your home will continue to be an enjoyable place in which to live for many years.
The Age-friendly Home Maintenance Toolkit has been developed to present ideas on how to identify and address common maintenance issues. The suggestions in this toolkit are flexible; you can choose whatever tips suit you best. Please note that any major modifications to your home may require council approval.