As part of the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services’ national reform “A full life – all your life,” Stavanger municipality has actively worked towards enhancing the quality of life for older adults within our communities. The key focus areas of this reform include creating an age-friendly society, improving food and meal services, and fostering activity and fellowship. Notable initiatives involve increasing nutritional awareness among healthcare providers, establishing a digital platform consolidating activities from both the municipality and volunteer organizations, and launching a dedicated website offering valuable information for older adults on various aspects of a fulfilling life in older age. These endeavours are coordinated by two multidisciplinary working groups comprising representatives from various municipal sectors. The municipality is also participating in several research projects in collaboration with various organizations with the aim of increasing our knowledge and understanding of needs and wishes of our citizens.

Looking ahead, a new national reform launched in 2023, named “Live safely at home”, puts an even greater emphasis on age-friendly efforts than the previous reform, focusing on facilitating thriving communities with housing that enables older adults to live healthy, active and safe lives in their own homes. Stavanger municipality is committed to furthering its efforts to make our communities more age friendly. This commitment will be enshrined in the new municipality master plan that is being developed, with the development of a corresponding action plan. The upcoming initiatives will center around the five action areas, aligned with the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s adaptation of the original eight WHO action areas, focusing on five areas: 1) universal design/outdoor spaces 2) housing, 3) transport, 4) communication and co-creation, and 5) society inclusion, volunteering, and culture. A newly established coordination group will supervise these efforts and provide regular updates to the municipal administrative leadership. Additionally, multiple theme-based working groups will be formed based on our prioritized action areas and concrete measures. These measures will be developed- and decided in close collaboration with the older adult population and relevant sectors in our community.