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MAKING YOUR SOCIETY AGE-FRIENDLY

Oct 07 2020
by GCI Desk

A large part of residents in housing societies consists of senior citizens deserving of a comfortable life. Good quality of life is especially important for the elderly dealing with chronic health conditions. Senior citizen-friendly housing is yet to become a norm due to the misguided perception that an elderly-friendly lifestyle cannot coexist with what we perceive to be a“normal” housing community. The good news is, everyone can help make the ageing experience better. This is where we come in to help provide uncomplicated strategies to turn your society into a more accessible and safer community for theelderly.

What it means for a society to be senior citizen-friendly…

A senior citizen-friendly society provides the elderly with an opportunity to be engaged in all activities that are deemed challenging without the right equipment. In fact, having a positive view of life can help seniors have more energy, better appetite, and decrease cognitive decline. It is a haven for the elderly to coexist in comfort and remain independent and in turn, their ability to participate promotes a healthy and economically stable community and helps those in need to agesuccessfully.

Age-friendly societies keep their residents healthy and active. To be a successful society means meeting the needs of people of all ages, whether it is someone being pushed in a stroller or dependent on a walker.

Ways to build a senior citizen-friendly society…

Recent data shows that our communities will require to adapt to an ageing population soon. People are living longer, hence, our older populations are growing. As the number of elderly citizens increases, we need to make sure that our communities are age-friendly. Simple adjustments can make societies better suited for people of all ages.

Recognizing the needs of all society members

Senior-friendly e?orts allow the elderly to continue to be valuable and active participants in their community. There are a large variety of ways to promote positive ageing, and it starts with reflecting on how you view ageing. Creating communities that are truly age-friendly requires action in many sectors: health, transport, labour, housing, communicationetc.

Information and communication

It is challenging and, in most cases, impossible for senior citizens to frequently travel to and fro to the Association or Maintenance o?ce whenever they require assistance regarding their units. Therefore, a culture of prompt responses to maintenance and repair issues is vital. Tracking their progress through various ways that can be done online ultimately gets rid of the need to make repeated calls or visits to the o?ces.

The management committees/RWAs should be responsible to keep an accurate database of all their units. Scheduling occasional visits to check on basic requirements like plumbing and electricity is one of the ways to successfully assist those in need. This practice may also help detect problems at the initial stages, making repair and maintenance work much easier and cost-e?ective.

Mobility becomes significantly less easy with age. If we take into account the designs ofbuildings, parks, transit areas, and other structures, it is clear that most of them do no support the needs of the elderly. Installing proper equipment such as elevator, ramps and transportation carts across the area will allow everyone to be active in yoursociety.

Elevators are vital for the suppressed movement of senior citizens throughout their housing community. Making sure the elevators are maintained regularly will help avoid sudden breakdowns. Senior citizen friendly housing societies should also keep in mind to install elevators that are spacious enough and ramps to allow comfortable positioning of wheelchairs and walkers.

Support programs that assist the elderly

Often, local organizations o?er programs and services that address the needs of senior citizens. Most such agencies need support from the community. Find out how you can help an age- friendly organization in your area throughvolunteering.

Special Activities

Collaborating with local clinics/medical stores and diagnostic centers to visit the community regularly for check-ups is a huge advantage for the elderly. This cuts out the need for constant long-distance travel and allows for easy healthcare access for those who frequently requireit.

With digitization in every field, regular sessions on handling online activities like internet banking, usage of the online apartment management system can be of immense help to senior citizens in their daily lives.

Installation of grocery stores in association with online vendors can help senior citizens to fulfil their daily needs within the society.

Investing in golf carts or electric transportation will provide access to easy travel across thesociety, without physical strain or dependence on anyone else.

Your role in an age-friendly community…

Senior citizens tend to be superannuated individuals that want to feel needed and involved in their community. Lack of activity has often been linked to physical as well as mental health issues in senior citizens. As we have established, age-friendly housing societies are responsible for the overall wellbeing of their geriatricresidents.

As the future elderly citizens, we are required to be involved in and reflect on our positions when it comes to age-friendly care. Volunteering and planning for regular activities to keep senior citizens involved is highly critical. Providing opportunities for mild physical activities or being physically present among the residents of the community can be implemented to ease the lives of the elderly.

With apartment living slowly becoming the norm, it is important to focus on the section of the population who deserve all our assistance in their twilight years. Certain organizationsand individuals have already taken action to make their environments age-friendly. Make your society a part of that.

About the author: Anastasia is an independent writer-editor with huge experience in Content Writing. Her writing mainly focuses on environmental awareness and sustainability.