Eastern Charlotte has been named New Brunswick’s 18th age-friendly community.
An age-friendly community encourages communities and municipalities to create policies and practices promoting healthy aging and wellness.
On Tuesday, Minister of Seniors Lynn Chantal Boudreau stopped to give the community its plaque.
“We heard so [many] positive things about that,” she said, speaking with The Courier. “Just breaking the isolation around seniors is very important and we just saw here there are so many volunteers who want to be part of [it].”
Sharon Travis, who is part of Eastern Charlotte’s Age-Friendly Committee, said a lot of what the committee has been able to achieve has been done in partnership with the community.
“Really, it’s listening to the people, it’s giving them what they want and also, I’m a senior, this is what I want,” she said. “I want events that I can go to. I want events that make people happy. I want things like transportation, a disability bus — we have a partner that is working on that — housing, and we’re working on that, and we need a plan.”
Travis leaned into the age-friendly community more following her retirement.
“It is certainly gratifying to know that people appreciate what we do and that we have fun doing it,” she said.
She also thanked everyone who stepped up to help the committee make things happen.
There are four initial steps in order to become an age-friendly community:
- secure official commitment to the age-friendly community approach with a resolution from the municipal council
- establish an Age-Friendly Steering Committee
- conduct an age-friendly community assessment
- establish a comprehensive action plan
Saint Andrews also holds the designation. St. Stephen recently formed an age-friendly committee and outgoing Deputy Mayor Ghislane Wheaton said it hopes to have a plan together within four months.
