Ottawa, Council of Aging/ Age-Friendly Ottawa Network

The community is in a period of transition while seeking funding to further develop the infrastructure to support other community initiatives. In early 2018, the Age-Friendly committee recommended forming a network of community champions to advance the work of Age Friendly Ottawa with annual meetings of the partners.

As part of the COA commitment to the Age Friendly Ottawa program, we have embedded the age-friendly approach to its work and many of the activities are currently being driven by these committees, including Housing, Health (health literacy, long term care); Transportation (rural transportation, older drivers, pedestrian safety, hospital parking); Social Inclusion; and Income Security.

As the newly configured Age Friendly Ottawa Network, we are focused on age-friendly neighbourhoods and age-friendly businesses. The Council will seek funding to support these two initiatives: 

• Age-Friendly Neighbourhoods – Working with the Federation of Community Associations we are exploring ways to build capacity to support planning at a community/neighbourhood level.
• Capital Aging: An Age Friendly Ottawa Business Initiative – Working with the Ottawa Board of Trade, we produced a market research paper. With some additional seed funding, we have piloted a networking and workshop series to boost eh number and types of businesses that serve seniors well.

To download the market research paper on the size of the older consumer market in Ottawa that is based on the 2016 Census, go to:  https://coaottawa.ca/capital-aging-special-report-2018/

The Council on Aging of Ottawa / Age-Friendly Ottawa Network also works closely with the City of Ottawa that leads the Older Adult Plan

• Snow Moles Walkability Audits (Include neighbourhood audits, hospital parking lot audits and Snow Moles audit of winter walking). French site
• Completed a walking audit at the Tulip Festival site in 2019 and made recommendations to improve walkability and connectivity for older adults and participants with disabilities
• Participated in the City of Ottawa’s Winter Maintenance Quality Standards Review to improve winter walking safety

• Seniors Ride Free (Surveyed seniors about their access to ride public transportation free on Wednesdays and now Sundays)
• Trained volunteers for CarFit clinics to review of how well older drivers and their vehicle work together (on hold due to the pandemic)

• Age-Friendly Housing Town Hall (September 2022)
• Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities Map Finder (Fall 2022)
• Drafted and Updated the Housing Options in Ottawa: A Guide for Older Adults 2021
• Housing Options for Moderate Income Seniors Forum (Fall 2018)

• Developed and delivered the Smart Aging Program (a series of 8 weekly workshops covering key topics to prepare older adults through late life transitions) 
• Hosted an annual Men’s Day Breakfast since 2019
• Was the catalyst for the first Men’s Shed in Ottawa

• Capital Aging (Age-Friendly Ottawa Business Initiative 2016-2019)
• Keeping Ottawa Seniors Connected Project (2016-2019, one of nine pan-Canadian projects working to reduce social isolation with funding from ESDC)
• Seniors in Focus (Series of short videos on seniors who have experienced isolation)
• A series of articles in the Fifty-Five Plus magazine (2022-23)
• Hosted a Francophone Forum on inclusion and diversity (2022)
  

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• Retiring on a low-Income Workshop (COA in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library delivers workshops each year in both English and French)

• Healthy Literacy Project (Peer-to-peer learning program about taking charge of your health, 2014-2017)
• Developed a bilingual campaign to address concerns in LTC during the pandemic

• Age-Friendly Ottawa Website includes links to:
  • Age-Friendly Community Action Plan (2015-2016)
  • Taking Charge of Your Health Pilot program
  • Building an Age-Friendly Business Community
  • Measuring Age-Friendly Results

• Infographic: Key Achievements of the Age-Friendly Community Action Plan (2012-2014)
• How Age-Friendly is Ottawa (2017)
• How Age-Friendly is Ottawa (Infographic)