Committed To Becoming More Age-Friendly
Vaasa Finland
In 2018, the Vaasa Council for the Elderly (Vaasan vanhusneuvosto) took the initiative towards joining Vaasa with the WHO Age-friendly Global Network. An Age-friendly action plan was drawn up in 2019 and it was combined as part of the City of Vaasa’s plan to support older people, and the Age-Friendliness Action Program for 2020-2025.
Due to administrative reforms, starting from 2024, the city’s age-friendliness will be monitored and reported in connection to the city’s well-being report and plan for 2023–2027. The plan to support the senior population and the Age-Friendly Action Program 2020–2025 remain in effect and will be monitored and reported on to the extent that the measures deviate from the well-being plan and the responsible unit remains with the City of Vaasa and has not been transferred to the welfare area of Ostrobothnia due to the social and health services reform.
The combined plan solution avoids any duplication of work and takes advantage of cooperation now and in the future. Since the main idea of drawing up the plans was to involve the various parties responsible for the work from the very beginning, the plans were made in close co-operation with all those responsible. Promoting the wellbeing of older people requires the co-operation of everyone responsible for different Age-friendly measures. The plans include the goals and measures by which the various responsible parties strive to improve the age-friendliness of the City. The Council for the Elderly has played a significant role throughout this process. A working group annually monitors the implementation of measures together with the parties responsible.
Finnish legislation obliges both the welfare areas and municipalities to draw up a plan of measures to support the wellbeing, health, functional capacity and independent performance of the older population and to organize and develop services for them. For municipalities housing is an especially important matter.
Here you can find information about Vaasa’s Age Friendly -project:
https://www.vaasa.fi/sv/bo-och-lev/valfardstjanster/valfardstjanster-for-seniorer/aldersvanlig-stad/