Age-Friendly Caledon Action Plan

Council approved the Age-Friendly Caledon Action Plan on May 18, 2021 as a next step for the Caledon Community. Our Vision for this plan is to help make Caledon a safe, welcoming, and inclusive community that celebrates the diverse needs of all residents, regardless of age. 

Please find the full Age-Friendly Caledon Action Plan (AODA) below. (please contact us for printed versions of this plan).

Beginning June 2020, the Town completed the development of the Age-Friendly Caledon (AFC) Action Plan development and completed the Action Plan in April 2021.  

Below is documentation that supports and builds on the AFC Action Plan. If you would like to review the documents, please contact us for a copy. 

For the Age-Friendly Caledon Action Plan to be successful, we need to ensure that we have resources available to implement and support the plan. Our Goals are to ensure that though this Plan we remove barriers, improve and update programs and services, enable healthy ageing in all we do, strengthen community partnerships and allocate the necessary resources needed to support the ageing demographic.  

As a community-driven plan, if you are a community stakeholder, business and/or provide a service to residents 55+ or their caregivers in Caledon, you can support the Plan deliverables.

Please find information on the various collaboratives that the Town facilitates and is engaged with and contact us for more information.

Age-friendly environments foster healthy and active ageing. They enable older people to: age safely in a place that is right for them; be free from poverty; continue to develop personally; and to contribute to their communities while retaining autonomy, health and dignity. Because older people know best what they need, they are at the centre of any effort to create a more age-friendly world.

Cities and communities are increasing where older people are living. The physical and social environments in our cities and communities are powerful influences on the experience of ageing and the opportunities that ageing affords. Cities and communities around the world are already taking steps towards becoming more age-friendly. An age-friendly world is possible and will be built by all of us - community by community, city by city, and region by region. 

The Age-Friendly Communities movements was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) through their Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide to encourage active ageing by increasing opportunities for health, participation and security to enhance quality of life as people age.

According to WHO, the eight dimensions of an Age-Friendly Community include: 

• Transportation
• Housing
• Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
• Civic Participation and Employment
• Social Participation
• Respect and Social Inclusion
• Communication and Information 
• Community Support and Health Services

The Town of Caledon is pleased to announce that the municipality has been accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to join their Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC). As a member, the Town of Caledon will be part of a growing global movement to better meet the needs of older residents.

“Together with residents, Town staff and Council, we have implemented policy and spearheaded initiatives that ensure Caledon is an age-friendly community where older residents can age well and age in place,” said Mayor Annette Groves. “This international recognition from the World Health Organization highlights our commitment to this cause and our motivation to continue improving age-friendliness in Caledon.”

Click here to learn more and view the Town’s GNAFCC profile.

The Creating a more inclusive Ontario: age-friendly community planning guide for municipalities and community organizations provides communities across the province with the tools required to implement the dimensions and key action items as outlined by the WHO.

Age-Friendly Communities are consistent with Ontario’s Action Plan for Seniors. The plan, released in January of 2013, was informed by a report on how to promote better care and health outcomes for older Ontarians entitled Living Longer, Living Well and developed by Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network hospitals and Expert Lead for Ontario’s Seniors Strategy.

The International Federation of Ageing drives the agenda of the world’s population ageing, so every older person can live their life to the fullest in a society that respects their past, present and future contributions.

Central to creating an environment that enables older people do what they value are the bridges and relationships that IFA helps to build across disciplines and sectors toward a common agenda that combats ageism and age discrimination and protects the rights of older people.

Collaborations and partnerships with the goal of accelerating the advocacy and policy development achievements lead to the acceleration of knowledge mobilization, reduction of international exchange of research results; reducing barriers to international research activities; fostering knowledge mobilization internationally; identifying knowledge gaps; and providing training opportunities.