The policy of the city of Amsterdam already takes specific needs of elderly people and elderly people with a disadvantage into account. The city will use the age friendly initiative to further strengthen and streamline its activities in the light of the big demographic changes that are evolving right now.

We believe that the network will deliver invaluable information on the same problems we will be working on, including possible solutions that will work in our city as well. We believe that the age friendly city initiative will help us work more coherently and altogether better on the topic of the demographic changes and the ageing population.

Civilians (including the elderly) are already involved in Amsterdam policy making. We have elderly advisory boards in place in neighbourhoods as well as a board on a city level, aimed specifically at services delivered to those in need.

Both our universities perform scientific studies into the field of the elderly. They also use a panel of elderly people. At the public health service we have a lot of experience with a community approach on public health themes. Apart from these elderly panels we will also reach out to other groups of the population, since the entire population is a part of the age friendly city. Solutions are not just for the elderly. Current younger generations can help and will age as well in the future.

Cross sectoral collaboration is not uncommon in Amsterdam. We have a program on a healthy city, which is a combination between spatial planning and the public health department. We have the Amsterdam Approach Healthy Weight, where a number of departments work together from the social area, spatial planning, sports department. Furthermore there’s a multi disciplinary working plan for the next four years where the entire field of social affairs, youth, public health, education and care is integrated.