The city of Guadalajara, in the west of Mexico, is the country’s second largest city with a population of more than 1.5m people (The National Population Council (CONAPO)). Around one-third (31.7%) of the population are from a European background, 33.3% from an indigenous background, and 34.7% from a Mestizo background. Low fertility rates and increased life expectancy have resulted in an increasingly higher proportion of older adults. Between 1990 and 2017, the proportion of adults aged 60 and over increased from 6.8% to 10.5% and is expected to rise to 14.4% by 2030. The majority (54.8%) of older adults in Mexico live in urban areas. The most marginalised groups are the indigenous population and seven out of 10 indigenous language speakers reside in municipalities.

There are several challenges for the city. Firstly, the different stakeholders need to agree a long-term vision that is sustainable and solution-based. Secondly, it can be difficult to reconcile the protection and conservation of natural resources with the need to sustain economic growth. Thirdly, the ageing population will require a substantial shift in society, not only in terms of expanding services and resources but also to incorporate new strategies and programmes to meet the needs of an older population. Guadalajara’s strategies for success include close collaboration between public and private sector organisations, promoting social co-responsibility. 

© Guadalajara, Mexico - An intergenerational cultural event

Implementation of the age-friendly programme has from the beginning involved three intersectoral groups: management, evaluation, and monitoring. This joint responsibility led to a number of initiatives including setting up a public attention training course to ensure that those working in the public sector understand and act sensitively towards the specific needs of older people. The strategy has also involved running initiatives first at the local level, which may include changing municipal laws and regulations and then expanding this to state level public policies.

© Guadalajara, Mexico - A workshop group of the Taking Control of Your Health programme

The Communication Programme for Healthy and Active Ageing has delivered several campaigns and workshops to promote healthy lifestyles for older adults. A programme titled Taking Control of your Health has been running since 2017 in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation and seeks to encourage healthier eating, physical activity, and maintaining healthy cognitive functioning. The aim is for 24 trained leaders to implement this programme for five different groups of older people across Guadalajara over two years. Around 2,400 people will have taken part by the end of 2018. Workshops have also been delivered by the ITESO University in community centres about improving the quality of life of older people through nutrition and architecture. Finally, a campaign to change perceptions of older people in order to reduce prejudice and discrimination was delivered, emphasising the need for inclusion and awareness of the needs of diverse groups of older groups.

© Guadalajara, Mexico - A university workshop programme

Under the Project of Comprehensive Urban Interventions approximately 741m Mexican pesos were invested in 2017 to improve the urban areas of Guadalajara, of which 22% was spent on interventions that directly benefited older people. This included purchasing comprehensive care equipment and services, improving green spaces, and sports and leisure centres. Some of the main aims of this project were to: improve the pavements and create safe pathways for all pedestrians; improve the infrastructure particularly in places where a lot of older people reside; improve public lighting and urban maintenance; adapt green spaces to the specific needs of older people; and ensure that public buildings are accessible to all. There has also been investment to expand and improve the Comprehensive Care Centre for older people by offering spaces for training, interaction, and rehabilitation, as well as integrating an aquatics complex to encourage physical strengthening among older people. A new health centre is also about to be opened that includes an area for hydrotherapy, general medicine, ophthalmology, and nutrition.

An intergenerational internship programme has been established, with the aim of creating an exchange of knowledge and experience between children, younger people, and older people. To date, more than 30 workshops have been implemented with the objective of promoting values such as respect, tolerance, understanding, and empathy. The programme develops recreational activities to encourage greater communication between generations, and physical activity programmes to promote healthy ageing across the life-course.

The age-friendly programme was evaluated between July and October 2017 by 98 representatives of the senior management committees, which represent more than 5,000 older people living in the municipality of Guadalajara. The objectives of the evaluation exercise ranged from measuring the levels of participation and satisfaction, to monitoring the government’s implementation of policy changes. It found that satisfaction with living conditions among older people had increased by 15%.

Priorities for the future in terms of age-friendly policies in the city include the implementation of initiatives relating to the training of individuals working in care homes and providing services for older people, employment of older people, and the public safety programme for older people. Other areas in focus are to strengthen the participation of universities and colleges, and to establish a metropolitan network of age-friendly cities.