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About the project
It is well documented that older adults prefer to remain in their own homes, supported by effective services as needed (aging in place). In New Brunswick, the percentage of the provincial population aged 65+ is the second highest in Canada (at 23%), with Saint Andrews being even higher (at 34%). The town of Saint Andrews and surrounding communities wanted to create an Aging in Place strategy, which would include the development of a community hub. To assure that the strategy and community hub would be useful to the community, community involvement was needed. This was achieved through a process of civic engagement, which is a form of social participation that can increase a person’s connectedness in their community. This project was initiated by Passamaquoddy Lodge, a non-profit nursing home in Saint Andrews. The Lodge worked together with Silvermark consulting firm and St. Thomas University to answer the question “How does a community bring to realization an Aging in Place Strategy?” The study attempted to address 2 key questions: (1) What are the processes and practices that promote and develop the engagement of older adults in community development? and (2) What are the social, health and psychological health benefits of civic engagement for older adults? There were 81 participants (78 of these were seniors) involved in the community engagement process, which consisted of 5 community engagement events; 45 participants were involved in at least one research activity to assess the impact of civic engagement on their health. Of these 45, 27 individuals completed surveys at project initiation, and of these, 12 also completed the endpoint survey, which enabled comparison of results before and after civic engagement. Interviews were also conducted with 41 participants at project initiation, and of these, 22 also participated in an endpoint interview. A “Blueprint for Aging in Place” was developed as a result of the project, as well as a local community action plan that included a plan for the community hub.
Conclusions and lessons learned
Overall, the evaluation findings suggest that several positive outcomes were achieved for local seniors with respect to their civic engagement attitudes and behaviours, as well as personal social capital and feelings of future security.
In addition, the learnings and recommendations from this project have supported the development of the Civic Engagement for Health among Older Adults: Blueprint for Communities (PDF 1.1 MB) document. In Saint Andrews itself, the community was and continues to be engaged and actively pursuing the action items raised through the engagement process. This blueprint can be applied to similar communities across the province.
Recommendations
It is recommended that the Age Friendly Community networks be used to share learnings and support communities working on aging in place strategies.
To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 168 KB)