Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities

"Healthy aging is a lifelong process of optimizing opportunities for improving and preserving all aspects of health, promoting quality of life and enhancing successful life-course transitions."

(Healthy Aging in Canada: A New Vision, A Vital Investment)

As Canada’s population is rapidly aging, it is especially important to support older Canadians to lead healthy, active lifestyles that facilitate their ongoing and significant contributions to their families and their communities. Making communities "age-friendly" has been identified as one of the best ways to help seniors to remain healthy, active and independent for as long as they can.

In an Age-Friendly Community, policies, services and structures related to the physical and social environment are designed to support and enable older people to "age actively"—that is, to live in security, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in society. For example, public and private transportation is accessible, streets and buildings are hazard-free, and there are opportunities for seniors to participate in civic, cultural, educational and voluntary activities.

The Division of Aging and Seniors is proactively championing healthy aging and Age-Friendly Communities by working with the provinces and territories, engaging partners, sharing experience and resources with community agencies and other groups and individuals interested in becoming more age-friendly.

What Information Is Available?

Be sure to read the following resources to learn more about healthy aging and Age-Friendly Communities:

• Healthy Aging in Canada: A New Vision, A Vital Investment, From Evidence to Action—A Background Paper
• Healthy Aging in Canada: A New Vision, A Vital Investment—A Discussion Brief
• Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide (External link)
• Checklist of Essential Features of Age-Friendly Cities (External link)
• Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Communities: A Guide
• See Chapter IV—Checklist of Age-Friendly Features (for Rural and Remote Communities)