This action plan is the first step along the path toward a proactive Chatham-Kent. It has been created by the Senior Advisory Committee – a Committee of Chatham-Kent Council – following extensive input from the general public and in consultation with experts and service providers at all levels of community and from all regions of the Municipality. It represents the conclusion of a two-year process that followed frameworks put forward by the WHO and the Ontario Seniors Secretariat.

This is a call to action. Recommendations contained in the action plan will not place the burden for instituting change solely on the shoulders of the government; it also provides direction to the private sector, community and social sectors, and private citizens. Everyone has a role to play.

Becoming age-friendly is not a short-term project with a defined end point; it is better understood as an evolutionary process. Therefore, this action plan is best described as a living document – the first of what will be many versions. It is designed to be evaluated and updated in three or five year increments so that it can grow with the community and keep pace with social and technological change. For this reason “Age-Friendly” is more appropriately categorized as a mindset that will guide decision makers, not a one-time checklist of needs and wants.

Age-friendly Chatham Kent: The 2015 Community Action Plan