Council Sign Letter of Commitment on International Older People’s Day
October 26, 2017
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has signed a Letter of Commitment pledging to play its role in working towards creating an Age Friendly World, to coincide with International Older People’s Day.
Working to support older members of the community, and to promote health and wellbeing, are key themes of the Area’s Community Plan. The Council and its community planning partners, along with funding support from the Public Health Agency, are delighted to formally pledge their support to this campaign. Support from the Public Health Agency comes in the form of funding to support the appointment of an Age Friendly Co-ordinator to manage the initiative on behalf of the Council and ensure that the voice of older people is heard.
Meeting the needs of ageing populations is vital to ensure that the Council area continues to be a great place to grow old and where everyone is valued and respected. The Council wants to ensure that through Community Planning, it can improve transport links and housing provision and can continue to promote respect and social inclusion in order to create a better environment for everyone.
The Mayor of the Council, Tim Morrow, said, “By signing our Letter of Commitment, we are pledging to create a plan of action whereby we provide enhanced services and provisions for our older people. We want to ensure that the right infrastructure is in place to support our aging population and that they can continue to enjoy older life.”
Proud to be supporting the initiative, Chair of the Strategic Community Planning Partnership Alderman William Leathem said, “The signing of our Letter of Commitment on 1 October is particularly symbolic as it is International Older Peoples Day. By our actions, we are further committing to address issues such as ageism and prejudicial attitudes that are prevalent throughout the world and ensure that the valuable contribution older people make to society is acknowledged and respected by everyone.”
Chief Executive of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, Theresa Donaldson said, “We are delighted to be part of this hugely important initiative to create a better society for our aging population. Together with the support of our Age Friendly partners, we can make a real difference to the day to day lives of older people. Many older residents suffer loneliness, poor health and isolation. Through our partnership and our work we want to ensure that older people have access to key services within our community so they can continue to play an important role in our community.”
Edmond McClean, Interim Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations at the Public Health Agency, spoke of its partnership with the Council, “An age friendly world is a place that enables people of all ages to actively participate in community activities. The Public Health Agency is delighted to partner with the Council to help make this a reality. Funding the position of an Age Friendly Co-ordinator to manage the process means a dedicated resource is in place to ensure that plans are implemented effectively to help create a more inclusive and accessible environment for older generations.”
It is predicted that population of the Council area aged 65 and over will increase by 9% by 2025 and 13% by 2030. The Council’s Community Plan is all-inclusive and will consider the requirements of older people to ensure they continue to feel an integral part of society.
In partnership with the Public Health Agency, the South Eastern Health Trust and the Belfast Health Trust the Community plan will focus on developing transport links and housing provision, as well as the promotion of health and well-being and social participation.
Caption:
Back Row (L-R):
Maeve Mulholland (local resident), Jason White, (Assistant Director Health & Wellbeing, South Eastern HSC Trust), Pauline Waters, (local resident), Joan Muir (local resident), Alderman James Tinsley (Chairman of the Leisure & Community Development Committee), Sheila Devlin (local resident), Nicki Patterson (Director of Primary Care, Older People & Executive Director of Nursing), Jeff Scroggie (Health Development Specialist; South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust)
Front Row:
Dr Theresa Donaldson (Chief Executive) Tim Morrow (Mayor), Ed McClean, Interim Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations