How Brampton is Making Getting Older Easier

Published January 14, 2019 at 10:44 pm

Let’s face it, as the years go by, most of us are getting older and likely not going anywhere anytime soon…until we meet our maker.

Let’s face it, as the years go by, most of us are getting older and likely not going anywhere anytime soon…until we meet our maker.

As people live longer and healthier lives, the challenge lies in the quality of our social and health services striving to meet the level of demand of this emerging generation of retirees. Scores and scores of the baby boom generation are entering into that stage of retirement as of this writing.

Brampton, like any other city and community, faces those challenges of making sure the city accommodates those who are getting older.

As such, as part of the city’s work to develop an age-friendly strategy, residents are invited to an event on how to make Brampton a better place to live at all stages of life.

The first ever Age Friendly Forum is being held this Saturday, January 19 from 9:30 am to 2 pm and will take place at the Flower City Seniors Centre on 8870 McLaughlin Road South.Although the intended target is those who are approaching their golden years, the event is open to people of all age groups. There will be presentations, activities, information booths, door prizes and giveaways. Morning coffee and a light lunch will be served.

The keynote speaker for the forum will be renowned urbanist Gil Penalosa, a former parks commissioner for Bogota, Colombia who founded a non-profit organization called 8-80 Cities, working with people to enhance mobility in public spaces through the philosophy “if you create a great city for an eight-year-old and an 80-year-old, you will create a successful city for all people”.

Here’s Penalosa giving a Ted Talk on mobility in 2014:

[video: https://youtu.be/vKfuSdQDTA8]

The city’s age-friendly strategy will focus on key areas used by the World Health Organization to define age-friendly communities, including public transportation, housing, public buildings and outdoor spaces, employment, social inclusion and community services.

“Brampton is one of Canada’s youngest cities, but we also have a rapidly growing population of people over the age of 50. When we’re talking about how to make Brampton an even better place to live, it’s important for people of all ages to be part of the conversation,” Mayor Patrick Brown said in a statement.

Space at the forum is limited and registration is required.

To register for this event, click here.

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