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.

A City for All Ages (ACFAA) Evaluation

An evaluation of the A City for All Ages strategy will take place during 2010. See the ACFAA Evaluation page for further information on the evaluation process as it is developed. A final report with recommendations for the future will be published in the autumn of 2010.

Edinburgh's Plan for Older People Action Plan 2007-2010

Edinburgh's Plan for Older People action plan 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 2 October 2007. The action plan outlines actions under 12 themes 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. Reports to the Council's Policy and Strategy Committee on the 10 June 2008 and the 9 June 2009 detail annual progress on the Plan. All reports are published on Council Papers on Line.

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

Edinburgh's Plan for Older People action plan was developed in line with the Scottish Government’s report "All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population"published in March 2007. The "All Our Futures" strategy is published on the Scottish Government website together with progress information. Part of the Scottish Government commitment in further developing "All Our Futures" was to hold a series of events across Scotland involving older people and their representatives. The Edinburgh and Lothians conference was held in June 2009 in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council.

All Our Futures Edinburgh Conference Report PDF, 285KB / Word, 248KB
All Our Futures Older People Stakeholder Events 2008 - 2009 (PDF, 81.2KB). This report published by the Scottish Government summarises the findings from all the regional events.

Involvement and Community Engagement

A City for All Ages encourages the participation of older people in service planning and supports their involvement in the development and implementation of Edinburgh's Plan for Older People, particularly through the Advisory and Today and Tomorrow groups.

A City for All Ages Advisory Group - includes older people and their representatives from the voluntary sector.
Today and Tomorrow Task Group - represents older people and their carers from the minority ethnic communities.

Other opportunities for involvement include the NHS Lothian Patient Focus and Public Involvement programme and the Edinburgh Community Health Partnership (CHP) Public Partnership Forums, and through the Neighbourhood Partnerships, a local Community Council and the Edinburgh Equalities Network. See also links to the Edinburgh Partnership information on Community Engagement. The Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations' Council provides support for the Forum on Services for Older People and the Centre for the Older Person's Agenda (COPA) at Queen Margaret University supports The Hub network which brings together a group of older activists. The Strategic Development Group (Older People) also provides guidance on the implementation of the plan.

Strategic Development Group (Older People) - A City for All Ages Seminar Programme

The Strategic Development Group (Older People) is supported by the Council's Health and Social Care department and membership includes Council officers, representatives from partner agencies, voluntary group representatives and older people. A series of seminars/workshops hosted by the SDG during 2007-2010 will link to the key priorities in Edinburgh's Plan for Older People. 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. Seminars have also been held on the following topics.

Safety and Protection - January 2008. This seminar was held at the Risk Factory and topics for discussion included the work programme of the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership and Adult Protection.
Contribution of Older People - May 2008 (PDF, 37.4KB). Topics discussed at this seminar included volunteering and public involvement with NHS Lothian.
Transport - September 2008 (PDF, 48.3KB). This seminar included presentations on Lothian Buses and Council & voluntary sector arrangements for community and accessible transport.
Intergenerational Practice - December 2008 (PDF, 52.4KB). The seminar programme included presentations on recent intergenerational activity in Edinburgh followed by discussions on the future development for an Edinburgh and Lothians "Generations Working Together" network. This seminar was supported by the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice and Queen Margeret University (Centre for the Older Person's Agenda).
Employment issues for the 50 plus age group - August 2009. This seminar was held in partnership with the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and the Joined up for Jobs Partnership Forum. See the Joined up for Jobs website for a note from the meeting and presentation material.
Age Friendly Neighbourhoods - November 2009 (PDF, 48.4KB). This seminar included presentations on the work of I'DIGO (Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors) the Edinburgh Open Space Strategy and the WHo Checklist of Essential Features of Age Friendly Cities.
Housing Information - December 2009 (PDF, 24KB). The programme included a briefing on the proposed Housing Strategy for Older People (Word, 57KB) and the opportunity to build awareness of Housing and Support Services through a variety of stalls at the event showcasing housing services for older people.

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 A City for All Ages. The health and social care elements 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.

Get up and go

Get up and go is an annual programme of activities and opportunities for older people in Edinburgh. The brochure is widely available in libraries and other Council offices. The 2009-2010 brochure was launched at the Be Full of Life event on 1 October 2009 at Meadowbank Sports Centre to celebrate International Older People’s Day.

Intergenerational Practice

A City for All Ages supports intergenerational activity. 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 details the successful bids. Earlier work included the production of an intergenerational Fear of Crime Video Resource pack, which can be borrowed from local libraries. A report to the Council's Education, Children and Families Committee on the 14 May 2009 described the involvement of volunteers in primary schools and the work of the School Volunteer Project (SVP). The report, published on Council Papers Online, recommends actions to further develop the approach for intergenerational activity in Edinburgh. In the Summer/Autumn 2009 schools, nurseries and learning centres were invited to complete a survey on current activity to help develop the approach and were given information about the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice. In October 2007 the Scottish Government set up the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice to share good practice and develop new opportunities for intergenerational working. A City for All Ages is working with Queen Margaret University Centre for the Older Person's Agenda to establish a "Generations Working Together" network for Edinburgh and Lothian. Local networks across Scotland will link to the Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice.

Employment at 50 plus

Employability and Skills is a core function of the Council’s Economic Development service. Employment opportunities for people aged 50 plus are identified as a priority in Edinburgh's Plan for Older People. A City for All Ages has linked with the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce to help progress this work and participated in the Joined up for Jobs Partnership Forum meeting in August 2009. In September 2008 the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce launched its Silver Economy initiative targetting support for entrepreneurs over 50 years old. This project has included free workshops for anyone over 50 who was thinking about starting their own business or planning on becoming self-employed. This EU funded programme runs under the SELECT banner (Senior Enterprise Learning - Edinburgh City Training). The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce is also leading on work within the Urbact in Europe and the Active AGE project looking at managing change and the impact of demographic ageing for cities.

International Links

Glasgow Caledonian University has teamed up with the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University to stage the 8th ISAPA World Congress on Active Ageing in Glasgow in August 2012. ACFAA has been involved in early discussions on an Edinburgh involvement. This Congress will attract a world-wide community of researchers, policy makers and practitioners to share research and information about the physical activity needs of older people. See the official newsletter of the 8th World Congress on Active Ageing "Don't stop me now" for further information.
In November 2006 Edinburgh became a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities project. WHO has published a Global Age-Friendly Cities Guide (PDF, 1.90MB) and Checklist (PDF, 611KB). 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.
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 theme for the conference was demographic change and social inclusion.
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 in October 2008 at the World Conference Center in Bonn. Today and Tomorrow will feature in the European Good Practice Booklet which will be published in late 2009.