Janet Smith, Public Health Lead – Older People, East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Contact: [email protected]
Older people in deprived rural and coastal areas experience health inequalities. There are stark differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy across the East Riding, and these health trends are increasing demand on health and care services, housing, transport, and community infrastructure.
The programme aims to create environments where people can live healthy, active, and connected lives as they age, particularly in the context of the East Riding’s rapidly ageing, rural and coastal population.
The Age Friendly Communities Programme is being shaped around the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Age Friendly Communities framework. The framework provides the “what” (the domains) and the “how” (the programme cycle) to create an age-friendly community.
The eight domains of Age Friendly Communities (the ‘what’) are:
- Outdoor spaces and buildings
- Transportation
- Housing
- Social participation
- Respect and social inclusion
- Civic participation and employment
- Communication and information
- Community support and health services
Global evidence demonstrates healthy ageing increases when action is taken across these domains.
The four-stage programme cycle (the ‘how’) are:
- Engage and understand
- Plan
- Act
- Measure
In January 2025, as part of Stage 1 of the framework ‘Engage and Understand’, an East Riding State of Ageing report was published. The report brings together relevant data, describes assets and services and incorporates the views of older people.
The programme has established a steering group and is focusing on areas including:
- Engagement and co-production with older people
- International Day of Older People
- Promotion of the age-friendly pledge with employers
- Dementia inclusion
- Community Transport