Hamilton, City of

The second Hamilton’s Plan for an Age-Friendly Community (2021-2026) was launched in 2021. This plan includes 8 principles, 7 strategic goals, 21 objectives, 61 recommendations and provides a valuable roadmap to guide our age-friendly initiatives. Six action and evaluation plans that aim to address key recommendations in the plan were developed and implemented in 2022.

Following a governance review, the committee transitioned to a new organizational structure that enables and supports the implementation of the Plan.  This includes the organizing of the Age-Friendly Collaborative Committee (ACFF) and 14 goal champions, two for each goal area. Eleven new AFCC members were recruited and oriented to the committee from the City of Hamilton departments and community organizations.

Our second plan adds the principle of building a dementia-friendly community in which dementia-friendly environments, opportunities and supports for individual living with dementia and their care partners are understood and fully integrated into the overall Age-Friendly Plan.  This is reflected overall in the 61 recommendations as well as in some specific recommendations to make Hamilton dementia friendly.  Separate funding was obtained from Public Health Canada to support the Empowering Dementia-Friendly Communities Project.

Outdoor Spaces and Public Buildings

• City of Hamilton pilotied a winter washroom project, opening public washrooms in many locations across the city.

Transportation

• Hamilton Council on Aging is offering a series of active transportation workshops.
  • Let’s Drive a Car: To give information on a variety of topics related to driving and to allow participants to assess their driving skills.
  • Let’s Get Walking: To increase older adult’s knowledge about how to walk safely.
  • Let’s Take the Bus: Design, test and introduce older adults to Hamilton’s transit system.
  • Let’s Ride a Bike. To increase older adult’s knowledge about how to safely ride a bike.

Housing

• Goal Champions are working to create awareness and educate Housing Services Staff and Indwell about Hamilton’s Age Friendly Plan.
• City of Hamilton Home Management Workers provide 1:1 support for clients in an age-friendly manner, including providing advocacy, service navigation, and remote supports around home management needs like cleaning, budgeting, organization.

Social Participation

• City of Hamilton Recreation Division introduced a Seniors Centre Without Walls program.
• Empowering Dementia-Friendly Communities Project introduced Faces of Dementia Awareness Campaign to raise awareness and promote dementia inclusive social and physical environments that is informed by the voices of people living with dementia.
• City of Hamilton introduced Seniors Connect, a Channel 399, a CCTV program that brings the outside world to CityHousing. It was piloted at First Place.
• Wesley Urban Ministries introduced a Seniors Isolation Program through workshops and case management for adults 55+
• Cycling Without Age provided older adults and others who cannot cycle the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary, safe ride on a trishaw. They partnered with Welcome Inn to take older adults on a ride on the Waterfront trail.
• City of Hamilton’s Recreation Department developed new pickleball amenities at the Ancaster Seniors Achievement Centre.
• Dundas 55+ group offered programs for older adults to participate in exercise and to socialize with others with the objective of reducing social isolation.
• Hamilton Regional Indian Centre offered a Seniors Centre without Walls program for seniors who are 50+ and indigenous and a Life Long Care program to provide community support services to urban Indigenous clients who require acute/chronic continuum of care.
• The Art Gallery of Hamilton introduced Artful Moments program specially designed to support persons with dementia and their care partners.
• YWCA Hamilton provided online and telephone-based health and wellness programming for older adults that includes physical movement, social interaction, friendly calls, meditation and education programs.
• City of Hamilton updated their registration system to on-line registration and provided training for older adults to learn how to access programs and register.
• City of Hamilton partnered with Warden Seniors Club to offer a technology program to older adults.

Respect & Social Inclusion

• Seniors of Canada, Hamilton Project (Led by Gilbrea Student Group at McMaster University, aims to portray seniors as they are to combat age stereotypes through intergenerational picture and story sharing,  funded by the Student Proposals for Intellectual Community and Engaged Scholarship (SPICES))
• Age-Friendly University (McMaster University is the second university in Canada to join the International Age-Friendly University (AFU) network)
• New Customer Service Model (online customer service training program for all City staff)
• Do you Know your Neighbour?
• Positive Aging virtual programming

Civic Participation & Employment

• Flamborough Connects and Path Employment partnered to offer a workshop to educate older adults on job search strategies and techniques to find meaningful employment opportunities.

Communication & Information

• Hamilton Council on Aging is working to Increase the social media profile of age-friendly Hamilton.
• Goal Champions are working to Increase awareness of dementia in public facing staff of the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Public Library and provide relevant tools and resources.
• Empowering Dementia-Friendly Communities Project is offering Dementia-Friendly Education Workshop to all sectors and community groups seeking more information about how to create dementia inclusive social and physical environments.

Community Support & Health Services

• Goal Champions are working to Increase system partner awareness of Hamilton’s Age-Friendly Plan.
• Alzheimer Society of Brant, Halldimand, Norfolk, Hamilton & Halton are working to engaged persons living with dementia to ensure their voices help shape new initiatives. Two projects have been developed as a result, a guide for persons who are newly diagnosed with dementia and a peer-led support group for those in early stage dementia.

• Community Action Plan (2021 – 2026) 
• Progress Report (2021)
• City AFC Website