Towards An Age Friendly Fredericton
As social work students from St. Thomas University, we are conducting a research project on Age Friendly Cities in conjunction with David Coon’s Constituency Office. An Age Friendly City builds community and creates connections to enable every age group to participate in the community, have access to services, and be safe doing both. An Age Friendly Fredericton would allow residents to age in place, in the way they choose, for as long as possible.
We are seeking participants to interview regarding the strengths and weaknesses of Fredericton as an Age Friendly City. The World Health Organization identifies eight categories to consider in this research: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, respect and social inclusion, social participation, communication and information, civic participation and employment, and community support and health services. We hope to get a sense of the problems within these categories and to identify any concerns with Fredericton that prevent individuals from being healthy, safe, and happy in their community.
We will be conducting face-to-face interviews of approximately one hour in length. These can take place anywhere in the community, including in the individual’s home if they prefer. It is important to us that participants feel comfortable sharing their views on this topic. The interviews will be confidential, and any published works will exclude personal details such as names, location and occupation. We hope to use the data collected to create a report for community members, stakeholders, and politicians to inform future policies and decision-making.
If you or someone you know is 65 years or older, lives within the city limits and would agree to be interviewed, please contact us for more information or to set up an interview (506-455-0936, contact@davidcoonmla.ca).