Simcoe, County of
Community Profile
Name of Committee: Simcoe County Age-Friendly Advisory Committee
Population: 533,169 (2021)
Contact:
- Website: www.simcoe.ca/age-friendly
- Email: Tracy Hill (Project Coordinator) tracy.hill@simcoe.ca or agefriendly@simcoe.ca
Funding:
- Municipal core funding
- The County of Simcoe has established an Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant Program to promote accessible, adaptable, and inclusive designs for adults aged 60 and older. This program provides annual funding up to $500,000 for eligible renovation or new development projects.
This profile was updated in July 2023.
Age-Friendly Program Description
The Age-Friendly Advisory Committee is comprised of community-based organizations, senior representatives, and municipal staff. The community is excited to move to the implementation stage and are committed to helping their seniors, municipalities, businesses and community partners incorporate actions and recommendations. The Simcoe County Positive Aging Strategy: Older Adults Strengthening our Communities including 2018-2023 Age-Friendly Planning Framework will drive the local age-friendly strategies, programs, services and policies for the next five years. This document is also intended to inform discussion and the formulation of future action plans to support the growing senior population in Simcoe County. In 2019, the County of Simcoe developed an annual grant opportunity for its 16 local municipalities to apply for funding to start age-friendly planning or to implement age-friendly projects in their communities.
For more information, visit: http://www.simcoe.ca/age-friendly
Current and Completed AFC Projects, Programs and Initiatives
Transportation
- Transit Service (Simcoe County New LINX Transit Service)
Housing
- Building a Seniors Campus
- Simcoe County Age-Friendly Seniors Housing Grant Program (To be released Sept 2018)
- Long-Term Care Beds (Georgian Manor approved for additional 3 beds)
- Seniors Housing Fairs (Distribution of housing information)
Social Participation
- Age-Friendly and Accessibility Criteria for Simcoe County Tourism Development Fund
- Simcoe County AFC Logo Project for Tourism & Museum
Respect & Social Inclusion
- Seniors Partnering with Immigrants in Conversation Exchange (SPICE)
- Sewing for Ages Intergenerational Program (Young children are taught the skill of sewing on machines at a long-term care home, at an introductory level. Over 8 weeks, the children, with the support of residents, create customized fidget blankets to be presented as a gift to a resident living iwith dementia in the Home.)
- Recognition program
Civic Participation & Employment
- Youth Volunteer Coordinator (For Long Term Care Homes)
Communication & Information
- Age-Friendly Municipal Champions Network
- Simcoe County Emergency Preparedness Information Session for Seniors
- Promoting 211 (Versus 911)
Community Support & Health Services
- OTN Coordinator (Ontario Telemedicine Network Coordinator for Long Term Care Homes in Simcoe County)
- Dementia-Friendly (Integrated dementia-friendly strategies and statistics into Simcoe County’s Positive Aging Strategy, AFC Business Guidelines, AFC Seniors Housing Grant)
- Food Security Framework (Blueprint for furthering awareness, coordination, and development of approaches designed to enhance food security for residents in Simcoe County, factoring in the different needs of urban and rural communities)
Community Documents
- Building an Age-Friendly Simcoe County: 2016 Community Needs Assessment [Executive Summary ǀ Full Report]
- Simcoe County Positive Aging Strategy: Older Adults Strengthening Our Communities
- County of Simcoe 2018 Age-Friendly Positive Aging Strategy Progress Report