We co-ordinate the Age Friendly Alliance. It is a group of representatives from specialist organisations who are collectively working together to make sure Lisburn and Castlereagh is a great place to live and grow older.
The Age Friendly Alliance is chaired by Councillor Gretta Thompson, the council’s Age Friendly Champion. Speaking about it she said: “The Age Friendly initiative aims to encourage active and healthy ageing. The population as a whole benefits from designing environments and activities for older people. Interventions for delivering an Age Friendly community can help tackle some of the biggest challenges to healthy and active ageing, such as social isolation and loneliness, injuries and falls, inactivity, mental and physical ill health.”
Our partners are:
- Alzheimer’s Society
- TADA
- SEHSCT
- BHSCT
- NIFRS
- Health & Social Care Board
- Queen’s University of Belfast
- Lisburn & Castlereagh PCSP
- Lagan Valley Rural Transport
- Linking Generations NI
- ASCERT
- PSNI
- NIHE
- Resurgam Trust
- Public Health Agency
- Department for Communities
- Libraries NI
- Dementia NI
- ATLAS Women’s Centre
- Volunteer Now
Work of the Age Friendly Alliance
Through an agreed action plan as part of the Age Friendly Strategy this group of statutory, voluntary, community agencies alongside members of the public aims to create an empowered, prosperous, healthy, safe and inclusive community.
To find out more about the action plan please click here.
Activities of Age Friendly Alliance to date
At the November 2022 meeting it celebrated the great services that had been delivered to older people across the council area during the COVID-19 pandemic and in recent months.
The highlights discussed were:
- delivery of Positive Ageing Month activities in Lisburn & Castlereagh during the month of October to celebrate older people’s contribution to society. 200 people participated in these activities
- over 100 people attended COVID-19 Stay Well at Home talks with each person receiving a ‘stay well at home’ pack
- the Caring Communities Safe and Well Service continues to support people 65 years and over who are feeling lonely, living in the South Eastern HSC Trust area, to find opportunities to socialise at local community groups in a warm friendly environment.
- the Caring Communities Safe & Well Service aims to tackle loneliness and social isolation by providing information, signposting and referral to a range of services to enhance social contacts, independence and wellbeing
- a Caring Communities Officer will offer a holistic needs assessment over the telephone or within their home depending on the needs of the individual. The assessment will include social opportunities, getting out and about, health, healthy living, safe and secure homes and money matters. The Caring Communities Officer can refer to services such as Make the Call and Community Advice Centres for all money matters and a benefit entitlement review
- caring Communities Safe & Well Service please phone (028) 9756 6934 or email: safeandwell@setrust.hscni.net
More information available here
How to get involved
We are keen to develop more programmes and activities with older people at their heart. If you would like to be involved or to hear more please contact the Age Friendly Development Officer Gareth McCausland by email: agefriendly@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk or call 028 9244 7327.