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The Vienna Senior Citizens’ Month

The Vienna Senior Citizens’ Month

Status: Ongoing

Vienna Austria
Print this page City population: 190000022% over 60Practice started in 2025

Summary

For the past 15 years, Vienna has dedicated the month of October to its older residents. Across all districts of the city, seniors are invited to take part in daily, free-of-charge activities that are designed to be both accessible and diverse. Many of these opportunities continue throughout the year – some free, others at low cost. The October initiative, supported by city-wide promotion and public attention, plays an important role in reaching new participants and giving them the chance to explore activities without barriers.

In preparation for October 2025, the program has been significantly expanded. By aligning activities with the eight thematic domains defined by the WHO, previously underrepresented topics have been integrated into the program. With more than 200 free events, the program is more comprehensive than ever before. Two special focus areas are highlighted: digital inclusion and the wide range of dementia-friendly initiatives offered throughout Vienna.

Website: https://www.seniorinnen.wien/

Key facts

Main target group: Older people in general

Sector(s): Education, Health, Housing, Information and communication, Labor, Long-term care, Other, Social protection, Transportation, Urban development

Other sector(s): Social participation

Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:
  • Ageing in place
  • Dementia
  • Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
  • Inequities
  • Inclusion
  • Participation
  • Technologies
  • Other

Contact details

Name: Sabine Hofer-Gruber

Email address: post@seniorinnen.wien

Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Other

Other project lead: Vienna’s Senior Citizens’ Advocate, Sabine Hofer-Gruber

Others involved in the project:
  • Local authorities
  • Older People’s Association
  • Social or health care provider
  • Volunteers

How collaboration worked: Each year, we take a closer look at the activities offered during Vienna’s Senior Citizens Month: How many people join in? Which events are especially popular? And what other topics spark the interest of older adults? At the Senior Citizens’ Festival – the big kick-off to the month – we meet with around 700 seniors in the City Hall, enjoying personal conversations and gathering valuable feedback. For 2025, participants wished to see a stronger focus on dementia-friendly programs and to learn more about age-friendly housing options. These wishes were brought to life in 2025.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: No

Do you plan to evaluate your age-friendly practice? Yes

Looking back

Challenges:
Putting together an ever-growing program of free events and activities is quite a challenge. The most popular events are often fully booked very quickly, which can sometimes cause frustration among seniors who don’t manage to get a spot. Other activities may not yet receive enough visibility and therefore attract only smaller groups. It also remains a challenge to provide a broad range of events across all districts of the city. Many activities are offered free-of-charge throughout the year, but some are not. While trial sessions are free, some seniors with limited financial means find it difficult to continue participating afterwards.