Age Friendly Cities in the Andean Region– Implementing and Monitoring the Protocol of Vancouver in Colombia

Age Friendly Cities in the Andean Region– Implementing and Monitoring the Protocol of Vancouver in Colombia.

Principal Investigator:

Silvia Gascón, Isalud University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Collaborators:

HelpAge international

Overview

The project aimed to sensitise the community in general and develop the skills and capacities of local actors around the need to create environments and services that promote and facilitate activities for active and healthy aging. Through the exchange of experiences, training, awareness and dissemination, significant results were obtained for the target population, and the possible application of the strategies in other cities in the region, with the active participation of academics, local actors and the community.

It was possible to mobilise academics, local actors, the local community and different associations on the importance of developing skills and capacities to create environments and services that promote and facilitate activities for active and healthy aging. There is already the adhesion and commitment of different localities in the region, for the application of the Vancouver Protocol, and many others have resumed the process towards an Age-Friendly City.

The project aimed to sensitise the community in general and develop the skills and capacities of local actors around the need to create environments and services that promote and facilitate activities for active and healthy aging.

Due to the great effort and creativity of the local team, and commitment and support of the different community and local government organisations, the recruitment of participants for focus groups was carried out so that the data collection on the application of the Vancouver Protocol in the two neighbourhoods of Chapinero could be done.

The first activity was the Forum of Friendly Cities for Older Adults in Latin America.  The activity was carried out on May 4, 2021 on Zoom. It was attended by more than 200 representatives from different countries, cities, organisations and universities.

The second proposal was a Course on Age-Friendly Cities. It took place in 3 weekly and successive meetings May and June 2021 in Argentina. The course was aimed at all communities in the Andean Region which want to promote healthy aging and optimising the living conditions of the elderly in their environments. The project is based on the rights approach, with a gender and multicultural perspective and incorporates a strategic planning model, with emphasis on intersectorality. It was delivered virtually.

A workshop was held on the Exchange of Experiences to reflect on the application of the Vancouver Protocol and analyse possible adaptations to the Latin American reality. Representatives from eight countries in the region, experts and academics from different universities and local and national government officials participated, with the representation of Pan American Health Organisation’s (PAHO) Healthy Living Course Unit. The need for this space arose from the original training developed, and it was an extremely enriching experience.

In addition, a website, ‘Friendly cities in the Andean region’, awareness campaigns, and awareness were developed with the participation of older adults from the town of Chapinero, Bogotá where the Vancouver Protocol was applied. The results were significant for the population with important participation and commitment of the Mayor’s Office of Chapinero, and associations of older adults.

As result of the project, the following has been achieved:

• Greater awareness of the need to promote environments and services that promote and facilitate activities for the active and healthy aging of the population.
• Training of academics, local actors and members of civil society organisations on conceptual frameworks and practical tools to formulate and lead initiatives for the development of cities and communities Friendly to Older Adults (PAM).
• Development of didactic material on the topics addressed in the course: friendly environments as key factors for social inclusion; the components of a project; priority areas and their link with the theoretical framework of Healthy Aging; and the keys to adherence to the network of Friendly Cities of the World Health Organization.
• Experiences in various cities of the region were shared and exchanged, on the implementation of the project Friendly Cities with the Elderly.
• Experts and academics from different universities and local and national government officials of the Argentine Republic, Brazil, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Republic of Colombia, Republic of Costa Rica, Republic of Chile, Republic of Peru and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay shared ideas and possible lines of adjustment to the methodology and topics of the Vancouver Protocol to adapt it to the Latin American reality.
• A technical document was prepared, which not only indicates the conceptual frameworks, but also collects experiences in the region, proposes strategic planning, and proposes lines to adapt the methodology to the Latin American reality.
• Satisfaction surveys of academic activities were conducted, assessing different aspects of the project: materials, platform, meetings, etc. As a result of these surveys, the proposal of the Workshop of Exchange of Experiences emerged.

• Course on Age-Friendly Cities: 35 academics, local actors and members of civil society organisations were trained in the implementation of the Older People-Friendly Cities methodology. Each virtual meeting lasted 3 hours, worked with materials and readings between meetings, offering participants conceptual frameworks and practical tools to formulate and lead initiatives for the development of cities and communities friendly to older adults.
• A diagnosis, using the Vancouver Protocol technique to identify the challenges and problems faced by older people in Andean cities.
• Pilot project with evaluations and change strategies developed in the town of Chapinero, Bogotá, Colombia, specifically in two neighbourhoods of this locality.
• Technical document prepared around ageing in the region.
• Active participation of 4 universities: University of the Republic of Uruguay, Gerópolis Center – University of Valparaíso and Federal Technological University of Paraná, University of Comahue.
• Visibility and communication strategy aimed at the entire region with the creation of a web space for the project Friendly cities in the Andean region’.
• A toolkit composed of pieces for emails, banners such as cover image for social networks, dissemination of Hashtags, etc. was designed.
• Advocacy and awareness campaign on Friendly Cities, where older people reported what is and what is not ‘friendly’. With the participation of the Council of the Wise Men and Women (a Civil Society organization made up of elderly people from all over Bogotá), two talks were organised, in which they worked on what Age-Friendly Cities are, and how to carry out a campaign through social networks within the framework of this issue, and how to influence their authorities so that their cities and communities are friendly to them. They were asked to reflect on their environments and start recording it. As part of the campaign, more than 35 T-shirts were made and given to the participants.

According to the guidelines of the Vancouver Protocol that guided the research, from the beginning the Council of Wise Men and Women or ‘Council of the Wise’ was included in each of the phases of the project. The Council of Wise is a Civil Society organization made up of elderly people from all over Bogotá and with representation in each of the districts. It is dedicated to the defence of the rights of the elderly and they have a strong impact on national departmental and local governments. They have taken on the project with great interest and actively participated in each of the meetings. They have even facilitated contacts with government officials. Its president, Dr. María Conchita Ramírez is part of the Advisory Group and the driving group of the project

The first action was a virtual meeting attended by the local Mayor, the representative of HelpAge International, the President of the Council of the Wise and the Isalud team. From the initial meetings, a project advisory team was formed in which three representatives participated, one each from the mayor’s office, the Council of the Wise and Isalud university. The advisory team selected the two neighbourhoods in which the project was going to be applied. They were involved in participant recruitment, analysis of results for the final report and the priority lines of the Improvement Plan.

Other local organisations were identified, based on Isalud’s previous projects, contact with PAHO and the active collaboration of HelpAge International, which has its local office in Bogotá. Non-governmental organisations such as ALMA, Health and Transport Companies were also contacted.

The development of the project opened several opportunities to continue strengthening the development of friendlier and healthier cities with the elderly.

To this end, some future lines of action are proposed:

1. Develop new workshops to highlight the regional adaptations that have been made to the Vancouver Protocol, including adaptations for the methodology in the Pandemic situation.
2. In all the activities developed, evidence was obtained about the digital divide between older and younger people and within the group of older people according to educational and socioeconomic level. Therefore, it is proposed to narrow these gaps through innovative training proposals to ensure the full inclusion of older people in the world.
3. Conduct a workshop with mayors and officials of Ministries from different sectors and leaders of the public-private sector to sensitise them about the importance of intersectoral work to adapt environments to the needs of longevity. Exchange examples of low-cost, high-impact good practices.
4. Involve more universities in the theme of friendly, healthy and sustainable cities so that they can collaborate with local governments to build inclusive places where people can age well with dignity.
5. Promote intergenerational programs, which help to banish ageism and promote the benefits to young and old of the exchange of experiences, goods and affection.
6. During the development of the project, several international organisations were invited to participate, such as Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Ibero-American Social Security Organisation (OISS) and Universities with which ties were established for future collaborations. There is potential to develop new activities and build these networks.

Capacity strengthening occurred across a wide range of stakeholders throughout the project. From the beginning of the project, different representatives of academia, local utility providers, and civil society organisations were convened.

The alliance with HelpAge International, allowed the involvement of the District Council of the Wise whose members actively participated in the different stages of the project. Likewise, the Local Mayor of Chapinero and his team actively participated.

The relationship with other academic institutions was strengthened given that the ISALUD Centre for Active Aging is a focal point in the region in this subject, and its commitment and continuous work has allowed to consolidate alliances with different universities that work in pursuit of Friendly Cities.

Likewise, the participation of representatives of different political levels of decision-making, from different countries and municipalities has exceeded expectations. The team believes this was due to the space offered by the project for the revision and adaptation of the Vancouver Protocol to local realities.