Brantford, City of

The Grand River Council on Aging has made a commitment to creating an age-friendly city a priority in partnership with the City of Brantford, the County of Brant, and Six Nations of the Grand River. As part of the community age-friendly planning process, the three communities held the Age-Friendly Community Summit Series, which resulted in the final Community Impact Report.

Based on the recommendations from the Community Impact Report, the City of Brantford has published Healthy Aging: The City of Brantford Age-Friendly Plan.

The Age-Friendly Plan was drafted in consultation with public input from over 700 older adults reached through thesummit series, focus groups, and surveys, and outlines tangible recommendations for the City of Brantford to maintain and enhance the quality of life for its aging population. 

Milestones to date include:

• Age-Friendly Community Summit Series – The Age-Friendly Community Summit Series consisted of eight forums, each one focusing on one of the World Health Organization’s eight dimensions of an Age-Friendly Community to identify the needs of older adults and monitor changes in the community. Summit participants included older adults, caregivers, service providers, and staff from the City of Brantford, the County of Brant, and Six Nations of the Grand River.
• Community Impact Report – The Age Friendly Community Summit Series findings were summarized in the report “Creating  an Age-Friendly Community: Community Impact Report” (published by the Grand River Council on Aging), which aims to be a catalyst for action with over 600 recommendations for the community; municipal, provincial, and national governments; non-profits; and the private sector as they prepare for an aging population.
• The City of Brantford reviewed all recommendations, published the Healthy Aging Strategy, and dedicated $100,000 of funding annually for three years that would provide resources for innovative one-time initiatives directly related to the deliverables of this municipal plan.                             
• The Healthy Aging Plan has 24 quantitative indicators and 73 recommendations.

The focus now is on launching new initiatives and evaluating their impact, including the following:

• Seniors Rec Campaign – The City of Brantford is pleased to announce the launch of our new Healthy Living campaign to encourages older adults to stay active and build meaningful social connections.
• Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) – provides activity in buildings with high densities of older adults and will provide weekly programs for seniors at three sites within Brantford.
• Let’s Get Moving! – a comprehensive transportation campaign to educate seniors on different modes of transportation available in Brantford, including public transit, cycling, and walking.  
• Safer Spaces Training – aims to reduce harassment, hostility, and discrimination towards LGBTQ2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Two-Spirit +) people in Brantford/Brant County through raising awareness and creating change through education.

Outdoor Spaces and Public Buildings

• Audible Crossings

Transportation

• Let’s Get Moving! (transportation campaign to educate seniors on different modes of transportation available, including public transit, cycling, and walking)

Housing

• Seniors’ Affordable Housing (New 57-unit seniors’ affordable apartment building)

Social Participation

• Digital Literacy Training (Training to residents, Digital Inclusion portfolio – Take a laptop and instructor to seniors and teach them how to video call their family, development of a Cyber Lounge in the LTC facility that includes ipads and laptops, trained volunteers)
• Neighbourhood Hub Programming (Older adults have access to programs and services, such as crockpot cooking for one, container cooking, seniors safety and fraud training, blood pressure clinics, food giveaways, and AED training)
• Senior Program Inventory and Mapping
• Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) (provides activity in buildings with high densities of older adults and will provide weekly programs for seniors at three sites within Brantford.)
• Healthy Living Campaign (Campaign to encourages older adults to stay active and build meaningful social connections)
• Intergenerational Taco Fest (Annual fundraiser)
• Let’s Get Moving (At Home)
• Seniors Centre Without Walls
• Intergenerational “BUZZME” program

Respect & Social Inclusion

• Seniors and Kids Intergenerational Program (Several programs to bring together students and seniors in retirement homes and neighbourhood hubs)
• Seniors Column in Newspaper (Partnership with Brant News to have a weekly column that focuses on seniors)
• Elder Abuse Strategy
• Intergenerational Autobiography Writing Project (Partnership with Laurier-Brantford University for 16 week program with 16 senior (4/5 yr) writing students and 16 community retirees)
• Safer Space Training (Reduce harassment, hostility, and discrimination towards LGBTQ2S+ people through raising awareness and creating change through education)
• New Years Welcoming to Brantford (New years welcoming to Brantford for all new community members to make them feel welcome)

Civic Participation & Employment

• Graduate Brantford
• Lifelong Learning Week

Community Support & Health Services

• Healthy Brantford (Agencies from health/social services system and interested community members are developing Action Tables to improve health of residents, using community index of well-being)
• Safe Brantford (Consumer protection workshops for seniors)
• Seniors Mental Health Training
• Para-Medicine Health Support (Paramedics attend 2 seniors apartment buildings regularly to provide medical service on-site)

Communications & Information

• Seniors Discount Directory (for online and in-store shopping)

• Healthy Aging City of Brantford Age-Friendly Strategy
• Master Aging Plan for City of Brantford & The County of Brant
• Master Aging Plan Community Results (2013)