The City of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, is a small city with big ambition, big ideas and big opportunity. With almost one in five residents over the age of 60, Summerside not only strives to be a great place to live but also a great place to grow old in. In 2014 Summerside joined the WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities with the commitment to make Summerside an age-friendly city.

An Age-friendly Cities Committee with key stakeholders from the City of Summerside was set up in November 2013.  It comprises lay individuals and professionals from the community.  These include older adults, health care professionals, an academic,  social service professional, business owners, and a City Council representative.  8 representatives from the City support the 8 sub-committees (reflecting each of the 8 WHO Age-friendly City domains) to provide guidance and act as a resource in their areas of expertise. The Committee currently consists of 45 percent older adults, with up to 54 percent possible in the near future.

We are currently developing a baseline assessment on the age-friendliness of Summerside. Consultations with  older adults (service providers, care givers?) have included 10 focus group discussions and 15 one-to-one interviews.