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Access the Age-Friendly Communities Planning Guide
Maintain Momentum and Sustain Success
| AFC Planning Question |
| 12. If the Action Plan is successful, how will it be sustained and refreshed? (Sustain) |
Generally, progressing though the four steps of the AFC Process takes at least 3-4 years. This can be a challenge for groups without supportive infrastructure, processes and resources to sustain and maintain their efforts.
Both momentum and sustainability will be needed to keep your AFC initiative and its programs/services going. Sustainability is the ability to continue at a certain level over time. How can AFC planning and implementation be sustained to respond effectively to the rapid and durable demographic shift underway to an aging population? To achieve long-term goals, AFC initiatives will require iterative cycles of planning and implementation supported by resources, activities, engagement with the community and collaboration among institutional stakeholders in an ongoing way over many years.
AFCs have identified eight factors as key to sustaining AFC initiatives. Consider these factors throughout your planning process.
- Funding
- Leadership, governance and infrastructure
- Strategic alignment
- Communication strategies
- Long-term strategies
- Inclusivity of diverse populations
- Involving academics
- Establish a critical mass
Read more about these factors in the Creating a More Inclusive Ontario: Age-Friendly Community Planning Guide.