Positive plan encourage independence for our older generations
Our city’s population is changing. People are living longer and want to remain independent as they grow older.
With this in mind, the Council – together with partners in NHS Lothian, the Police, the Fire and Rescue Service and the voluntary and commercial sectors – have produced an updated plan for older people. The plan is called A City For All Ages.
First launched in 2000, the plan is to encourage better links between the generations and foster a positive approach to ageing.
Over the past year, the Council has worked on a number of projects to raise the profile of older people and encourage both young and old to understand each other better.
A Council grant-funded project run by day care centre LAHA (Liberton and Area Handicapped Association) saw pupils from Gracemount High School working with older people around the themes of the seven deadly sins.
Entitled The Seven Delightful Things, the multi-media project explored the changing face of morality in contemporary society.
Participants were involved in a broad range of creative tasks, including writing, producing and acting in a theatre production at the Edinburgh International Festival.
The project also saw the creation of seven short films for the 2008 Edinburgh Film Festival, a 45-minute documentary film, a serial radio play and original scores of music for both theatre and film.
The project has been very well received and has proved a great opportunity for young and old alike to learn and grow together, breaking down barriers in the process.
The success of Seven Delightful Things saw LAHA invited to attend various European seminars run by the European Council, to develop partnerships with other intergenerational agencies.
The seven short films have also been submitted to Channel 4 for a possible nationwide screening. A planned follow-up intergenerational project, The Dissolution of Physicality, will look at the changing face of communication and build on the strong links already created.
Jason Lee, the development worker at LAHA, is enthusiastic about what the Council’s grant funding has allowed his organisation to achieve.
“Cross-generational working has long been a target of our organisation and finally we have been able to achieve it,” he said.
“The feedback from participants has been fabulous and the benefits can be felt within our communities.”
Copies of the summary plan are available from Glenda Watt, strategy manager for Edinburgh’s Plan for Older People, 0131 469 3806, e-mail: acfaa@edinburgh.gov.uk or visit: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/acfaa