Duane Hicks
A local committee is ready to move ahead with a four-year action plan outlining a slew of recommendations to make Fort Frances more “age-friendly.”
Ian Simpson, co-ordinator for the Age Friendly Community Committee, told council Monday night that the group has completed all of the necessary steps, including consulting the public, to develop an action plan.
It now wants to work with community partners to determine which of those actions are feasible and “help make life better, safer, and secure for older adults.”
Simpson said the committee recently was approved for a provincial grant to continue its work, and will begin implementation of the action plan in September.
“We would appreciate from the town a commitment to working with our committee as we strive implement our action plan,” he told council.
There are 15 actions and strategies in the plan.
Some of these include:
•installing additional benches in identified areas;
•reducing inappropriate use of handicap- and time-sensitive parking;
•improving transportation options available for medical-related travel;
•reviewing current housing options for older adults and creating a list of suitable locations for new housing options; and
•creating a volunteer companion service to help isolated older adults get to events.
Several other actions include:
•establishing a central agency to administrate volunteer and employment opportunities for seniors;
•establishing programs with schools and businesses where seniors would be involved in education- and business-related projects;
•developing a seniors’ web page to provide effective communication;
•advocating the provincial and federal governments to increase available beds and reduce wait times in hospitals, and address the shortage of primary-care providers here; and
•advocating for the establishment of an assisted-living facility in Fort Frances.
But Simpson stressed that “this is only a plan.”
“We do not take anything for granted,” he remarked. “We have a created a plan which involves steps we would like to take.
“But we do know we would like to work hand-in-hand with the town to make this happen.
“We know that some suggested actions and strategies might not viable,” Simpson conceded. “Once we talk to people, they may not work.
“And we’re ready to revise and review our plan,” he stressed. “It’s a living, breathing document and we’re ready to make it work and the make the changes we need to.
“The plan is a starting point, and we know we’ll have to continue to evaluate and adjust.”
Simpson said older adults make up a huge demographic in this community–and that demographic only will grow in the future.
“We can make small steps that will make this a more ‘age-friendly’ community,” he noted.
When asked what’s needed most to make the community more “age-friendly,” Simpson replied there’s no one action in particular.
Transportation and availability of housing are recurring issues, he noted, but to him, “the biggest thing that I would ask is that we all pull together, we all work together with this and do what we can.
“We don’t take anything for granted,” he reiterated. “But we’re soliciting support where we can get it and we want to work together with people in practical way to make things happen.”
Looking ahead, the committee also will apply to the World Health Organization to become a member of the Global network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, noted Simpson.
He added Fort Frances already has completed all of the steps needed to make that application.
