Waterloo, City of

The AFC work is led by a multi-agency committee that is grass roots with a senior management staff person, volunteer driven, and has the mayor as part of committee. 

Early in 2018, the Age-friendly Waterloo multi-agency committee conducted an evaluation to review the City of Waterloo’s challenges and areas of strength as an aspiring age-friendly community. Four of the eight age-friendly city domains identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) were examined:

• housing;
• community support and health services;
• respect, social inclusion and social participation; and
• communication and information.

These four areas were selected as priority domains back in 2010 when the committee conducted an age-friendly needs assessment.

The evaluation is based on data collected from three focus groups held in February, 2018. In total, 57 individuals participated in these focus groups. The vast majority were older adult residents (age 55 and over) of the City of Waterloo. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from research participants through surveys and focus group discussions.

Research participants reported a high degree of satisfaction with local housing, health and social services providers. Housing affordability, access to services information and transit services were identified as areas of significant concern. The complete evaluation report is provided here.

Transportation

• Ride the Bus (In partnership with Age-Friendly Kitchener and Cambridge to offer ride the bus workshops)

Housing

• Older Adult Housing Directory

Respect & Social Inclusion

• Lunch and Learn (The importance of inclusion in elder abuse prevention)
• Bridges (an intergenerational learning program bringing older adults and youth together to share cultural knowledge)

Communication & Information

• Annual Age-Friendly Forum

• Age-Friendly Waterloo Evaluation Report (2018)
• Alternatives to Long-Term Care and Housing: Environmental Scan (2020)