Edinburgh's Plan for Older People

A City for All Ages (ACFAA) is Edinburgh's Joint Plan for Older People. First launched in 2000, it is about improving opportunities and services for older people, removing discrimination and overcoming barriers. The Plan is a joint arrangement between The City of Edinburgh Council and its partners in NHS Lothian and the voluntary and commercial sectors. It is part of the city’s community planning programme through the established links with the Edinburgh Partnership, the Edinburgh Community Health Partnership and the Neighbourhood Partnerships.

Action Plan 2007-2010

The action plan for Edinburgh's Plan for Older People for 2007-2010 was developed in consultation with partner organisations and older people and agreed by the Council's Policy and Strategy Committee on the 2nd October 2007. A report to the Council's Policy and Strategy Committee on the 10th June 2008 published on Council Papers Online (CPOL) details progress on the Joint Plan to date.

Edinburgh's Plan for Older People Summary (PDF, 884KB)

Edinburgh's Plan for Older People Progress Report 2008 (PDF, 6.54MB)

Findings from a consultation carried out by the Council and the Older People’s Equality Forum (OPEF) in 2006 and from an Active Ageing conference also held in 2006 supported the development of the Joint Plan. It has also been developed in line with the Scottish Executive’s report All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population published in March 2007. An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) of the strategy document was carried out in June 2007. Copies of the consultation reports are published as downloads at the foot of this page. Printed copies are available on request.

The 2007-2010 action plan outlines actions under 12 vision statements and identifies four priority areas for action: intergenerational activity; employment opportunities for people aged 50 plus; older people taking responsibility for their own future; and, businesses developing suitable services and products for older people. Progress on the Joint Plan will be reported to the Council and the Edinburgh Partnership each year. Older people, representatives from older people's groups and the Today and Tomorrow task group, which represents older people and their carers from the minority ethnic communities, will have a role in monitoring progress.

AAMEE Project

The Active Ageing of Migrant Elders across Europe (AAMEE) project focuses on the promotion of active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of migrant and minority ethnic elders.

The first prize of the European Good Practice Competition II – Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders across Europe was awarded to A City for All Ages - Today and Tomorrow during the 1st European Conference "Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders across Europe - from Challenges to Opportunities", which took place from 30th September to 2nd October 2008 at the World Conference Center in Bonn. A prize of 2,500 euros was donated by the NRW Bank. The six Best Practice Examples award winners, including Edinburgh, will host an international exchange programme to compare notes and learn from each other.

Strategic Development Group (Older People)

The Strategic Development Group (Older People) is a reference group on issues of concern to older people. Membership of the group includes Council officers, representatives from partner agencies, voluntary group representatives and older people. A series of seminars/workshops hosted by the Strategic Development Group (Older People) during 2007-2010 will link to the 12 vision statements of the Joint Plan and contribute to the evaluation of A City for All Ages. The first seminar was held in November 2007 on the Council and NHS Lothian’s Joint Capacity Plan and Commissioning Strategy for 2008-2018, Live Well in Later Life, looking at the future support and care needs for older people. The findings from this seminar will help inform the further development of Live Well in Later Life. A second seminar was held in January 2008 looking at issues around community safety. the work of the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults. In May 2008 a seminar on the Contribution of Older People looked at issues around volunteering and older people's involvement in service planning. Transport and Mobility were the subject of a seminar held in August 2008 and the next seminar is planned to be about Intergenerational Activity.

Live Well in Later Life

Better joint working between Council departments and partner organisations to improve and develop ways to support older people in times of ill health and need is one of the key elements of ACFAA. The health and social care elements of ACFAA are led and progressed by the Council’s Health and Social Care and Services for Communities (Supported Housing) services and NHS Lothian. The Live Well in Later Life plan is the Council and NHS Lothian’s Joint Capacity Plan and Commissioning Strategy for 2008-2018 looking at the future support and care needs for older people. The Council has also recently published the findings from a Strategic Review of Sheltered Housing in Edinburgh and a Review of Day Services for Older People.

Get up and go

Get up and go is an annual programme of activities and opportunities for older people. The 2008-2009 brochure is widely available in libraries and other Council offices. The brochure was launched at the Jam Packed Full of Life event held at Meadowbank Sports Centre on 1st October 2008 to celebrate Older People's Week.

Intergenerational Work

ACFAA promotes work between the generations. In 2006/2007, the Council distributed grant awards totaling £50,000 for projects for intergenerational work. A report to the Council Executive on the 28 November 2006 published on Council Papers Online (CPOL) details the successful bids. The projects reported back on their outcomes in December 2007. Earlier work included the production of an intergenerational Fear of Crime Video Resource pack, which can be borrowed from local libraries. In October 2007 the Scottish Government set up the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice to share good practice and develop new opportunities for developing intergenerational working. In March 2008 The Council joined with Queen Margaret University to support the Centre's roadshow event in Edinburgh. The Royal Bank of Scotland Centre for the Older Person’s Agenda is based in Queen Margaret University.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities Project

In November 2006 Edinburgh became a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities project. An age-friendly city encourages active ageing by optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. WHO has published a Global Age-Friendly Cities Guide (PDF, 1.90MB) and Checklist (PDF, 611KB).

Eurocities 2007

A City for all Ages was nominated for a EUROCITIES Award for Innovation 2007. The award recognised innovative city approaches to addressing the new challenges cities have to face as a result of demographic changes in all spheres of life. The awards ceremony took place at the EUROCITIES Conference and AGM 2007 in Gdansk in November 2007. The theme for the conference was demographic change and social inclusion.