Summary
The Melville Age Friendly Accessible Business (MAFAB) Network is a City of Melville initiative working with local businesses to implement age-friendly and accessible initiatives to support the older population, including those living with dementia and people with disabilities, a demographic who make up a significant part of the Melville community. The network was created to support businesses to meet the needs of this important group and is part of a wider strategy to ensure Melville is an accessible, inclusive and age-friendly city.
MAFAB provides opportunities for local business to share and showcase some of their age friendly and accessible innovations, training for staff, receive regular communications on MAFAB and Accessible Inclusive information about up to date research and attend and participate in networking events.
MAFAB has already achieved the following outcomes:
- Garden City/AMP, foundation member of MAFAB, was awarded the 2016 WA Seniors Business Award for strategies to provide outstanding service to older people.
- Dementia awareness training provided to members
- Memory Café, a collaboration between Alzheimer’s Australia WA, Garden City/AMP and the City of Melville, was launched to provide people living with dementia, and their family or carers, a monthly informal get together.
- Participation at the City’s Your Business Our Future Business Forum
- Reporting to Advocare on the potential for abuse of people in mobility devices at payment counters, as identified by a MAFAB member.
- Feedback to the Council on the Ageing (COTA) about the benefits the Garden City Mall Walking group participants provide to MAFAB businesses at Garden City.
- Positive customer feedback provided to MAFAB members on exceptional customer service
Key facts
Main target group: Older people with chronic health conditions or disability
Other target group(s): Older people in general
Sector(s): Education, Health, Information and communication, Social protection
Desired outcome for older people:
Meet their basic needs
- Ageism
- Accessibility
- Ageing in place
- Dementia
- Elder abuse
- Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
- Intergenerational activities
- Inclusion
- Participation