Age Friendly Sutton
At Age UK Sutton, our Mission is to make Sutton a more Age Friendly Place, so that everyone can have a better late of life and feel valued in the community. We are proud to be the lead partner for older people for the Sutton Plan.
The World Health Organisation Age Friendly Communities Programme
In January 2020, with our support, the London Borough of Sutton made a commitment to the World Health Organisation to become an Age Friendly community. An Age Friendly community is one where services and structures are adapted to the needs of their ageing populations, and where older people are valued and have the opportunity to fully take part in local life.
The global Age Friendly Communities programme highlights 8 main areas that affect older people’s lives, based on international research. These are:
- Outdoor spaces and Buildings
- Transportation
- Housing
- Social Participation
- Respect and Social Inclusion
- Civic Participant and Employment
- Community support and health services
- Communication and Information
You can read more about the World Health Organisation Age Friendly domains, and the whole programme, here and here.
Working in partnership to build a more Age Friendly Sutton
As lead partner for older people for the Sutton Plan, Age UK Sutton is working with partners including Sutton Council, the NHS, other charities and local businesses, to understand what works well in Sutton, what could be improved, and what needs to change. We are committed to making real, lasting change, and to be led by older people’s views, as well as experience and evidence from the partners involved.
We are pleased to share that we are piloting three projects to explore how safe, how welcome and how connected older people feel here in Sutton. These pilots have been funded by Sutton Council and are driven by what local older people have told Age UK Sutton matters to them.
You can sign up to receive email updates about our Age Friendly programme by emailing agefriendly@ageuksutton.org.uk
Feeling Welcome
How welcoming are Sutton’s high streets to older residents? Local older people told us they didn’t always feel welcome on our high streets and found some local businesses were not user friendly or welcoming to older people.
We have just finished a pilot Age Friendly Business scheme in Sutton to explore what benefits this could bring to the Sutton community. We co-designed the scheme with local older people, and local businesses, so everybody can benefit.
Businesses who signed up to the scheme received a resource pack, an ‘Age Friendly Businesses’ check list developed with local older people and the chance to receive a service check by an Age UK Sutton Age Friendly Ambassador.
Through this pilot we have learned from local older people and local businesses, so we can work together to make Sutton a more Age Friendly Place. We will be reporting soon on what we learned from this pilot, and how we plan to put that learning to use.
Feeling Safe
Older people told us they don’t always feel safe at home. Feeling safe in your own home can mean different things to different people. It could be how secure you feel in your home, or how safe you feel living independently at home and completing everyday practical tasks. Our pilot project included supporting local older people with a home safety review, and information about sources of support. We will be reporting soon on what we learned from this pilot, and how we plan to put that learning to use.
In response to what we have learned from this project, we have created a Home Safety guide that shares information about local services in Sutton that can help you to feel safe in your home in later life. You can view it online, download it, or request a free print copy.
We hope that you find this booklet useful. If you require support, or would like to speak to a member of the team about the services and support available, you can contact us by email info@ageuksutton.org.uk or by telephone 0208 078 0002
Download your PDF copy here: AUKS Home Safety Check Booklet - v1.pdf
Sign up to our mailing list and join the ranks of Age Friendly Sutton Champions
As an Age Friendly Champion, you'll have exclusive first look access at our programme Blog, including research findings, earlybird information about events, and special opportunities to get involved. We will send you our Age Friendly Sutton newsletter monthly, and occasional other information - we promise we won’t ‘spam’ you, or share your details with anyone else.
Sign up here, or by emailing Jemma at agefriendly@ageuksutton.org.uk