Ready for Living Overview

The Gore District is working towards becoming an intergenerational community.

There is active promotion of interaction and cooperation between people regardless of age and life stage, and a focus on the needs of all residents both today and beyond.

Ready for Living will be a long term action plan – delivery commenced 2019, and will continue to evolve for many years focusing on a intergenerational community. In 2020 the Ready for Living Coordinator was employed to start work towards completing actions and making positive changes for the future.

Some actions will be delivered rapidly, and some will be about a new way of planning and implementing infrastructure as maintenance and upgrades roll around.

What would the picture of ageing in the community of Gore be in 2039 – twenty years from now? Can we visualise it?

Let’s attempt to do so:

Health

• Local – majority of health services accessed locally through technology
• Cost-friendly – cost is a significantly reducing barrier to access to health
• Accessible – Te Kakano model (Free nurse led clinics), or similar, active
• Seamless – navigation easy; advocacy strong

Mobility

• Independent – less reliance on own car/licence
• Cost-friendly – transport no barrier to being community-active
• Physical-friendly – footpaths, multi-level buildings etc fit for older people

Housing

• Intergenerational living – family or others; with or without retirement village model
• Range of living options – suiting different needs / desires / financial ability
• Smart houses – technology in homes suited to all ages and needs

Social Participation

• Focus – enablers of social participation are identified and maximised
• Work and volunteering – supported and maximised
• Barriers identified – and dealt with, such as mental health, substance abuse

Employment and Volunteerism

• Employers – age-friendly
• Paid and unpaid employment for older people – equally valued
• Training / retraining – accessible and encouraged regardless of age
• Technology – high level of enablement

Accessibility

• Information – ensuring information is readily available, including hardcopies at various places
• Access – buildings, services, retailers accessible and focussed on the importance of older people
  eg advertising, physical accessibility
• Accreditation – Age-friendly Business recognition register is developed
• Infrastructure – as maintenance and upgrades roll around.