Hamilton’s Plan for an Age-Friendly City was developed in 2014 by the City of Hamilton, in partnership with the Hamilton Council on Aging and the Cityof Hamilton’s Seniors Advisory Committee. The Plan was informed by the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities and Communities framework and introduced a long-term vision of a community that values, empowers and supports older residents and improves their quality of life both now and in the future. It is organized around 7 themes, including 25 objectives and 101 actions. The Plan looks to improve access to essential supports, programs and services, as well as enhance opportunities for seniors to have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.  The Plan is also a guide for community stakeholders and municipal decision-makers for planning and serving the needs of older adults.

The planning process included background research and planning; community engagement and consultation; and analysis and plan development.  Special efforts will be made to engage older adults with diverse backgrounds and a wide range of life experiences including Aboriginal residents, residents on low income, persons with disabilities, residents from etho-cultural communities and rural residents.

In 2015, the Age Friendly Collaborative Governance Committee (AFCGC) was established to provide guidance, decision-making, and to champion the implementation of the Plan.  The AFCGC is comprised of City of Hamilton staff and members from the Hamilton Council on Aging and Seniors Advisory Committee.  Under the umbrella of the AFCGC, goal champions work horizontally with internal and external service-delivery providers to identify issues and trends and collaborate on solutions.

The five-year implementation plan (2014-2019) focused on improving Hamilton’s Age Friendliness.  47 of the 101 actions were completed, 34 are being implemented, 10 are in the planning phase and 10 will be reassessed when developing Hamilton’s second Age Friendly Plan.

Hamilton’s second Age Friendly Plan will be developed using the first plan as a baseline, with consideration of lessons learned, research and best practices, statistics and most importantly feedback from older adults and other stakeholders around the priorities, gaps, challenges and emerging needs related to aging in Hamilton.

In 2019, broad community consultation was key to understanding the current diverse needs and priorities of all older adults living in Hamilton.  Consultation took place in all City of Hamilton wards and focused outreach was provided to vulnerable and various ethno-cultural communities.  Focused outreach took place with the following diverse communities:  Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, Muslim, Jewish, Chinese, Spanish, Francophone, LGBTQ2+, persons living with disabilities, and older adults living with low-income.

The community consultation phase took place from April to December 2019.  A total of 4100 citizens provided feedback about their experiences, challenges and solutions related to aging in Hamilton through the following methods:

• Age Friendly Forum Launch Event- 300 participants
•  27 Focus Groups- 487 participants
•  12 Community Events/Fairs- 2,630 participants
•  Individual Survey- 693 participants

In December 2019, members of the Age Friendly Collaborative Governance Committee (AFCGC) met with a group of 51 community stakeholders who provide services, programs and supports to older adults living in Hamilton.  In January 2020, a consultation session took place with 34 City of Hamilton staff representing various departments and divisions across the corporation.  Both groups reviewed the challenges and solutions suggested by older adults, then formed some recommendations for Hamilton’s second Age Friendly Plan.

In 2020, the goal was to launch Hamilton’s second Age Friendly Plan but response to the COVID-19 pandemic became the priority.  However, during the summer of 2020 further consultation took place to identify the impact of the pandemic on the lives of older adults and seniors residing in Hamilton. In addition, it was recognized that the needs and priorities of people living with dementia and their caregivers needed to be included in Hamilton’s second Age-Friendly Plan.  The integration of dementia-friendly recommendations became the first in Canada.