LEADERSHIP, DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT FOR A HEALTHY AGEING NEWCASTLE POPULATION

‘From age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different’- Aldous Huxley ‘Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough’ Groucho Marx

Councillor Ann Schofield Newcastle upon Tyne Deputy Cabinet Member Portfolio: Age Friendly City

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The changing demographic of Newcastle upon Tyne

Context: Newcastle

• A Metropolitan County of Tyne and Wear and lies at urban core of Tyneside. • Most populated city in the North East region, approximately 282,500 people, and lies at the urban core of Tyneside. BaME population 12% city wide; 30% in one ward. Population projected to grow by 6.1% by 2035 (302,700).

• A member of the England Core Cities Group and with Gateshead part of the Eurocities network of European Cities. • A proud history in manufacturing • Consists of a small but vibrant city centre thanks to our partnership with the NE1 Business District, urban districts and several rural villages to the North and West of the city which border with Northumberland. • Two popular Universities (Newcastle and Northumbria) and one college (Newcastle College) which together host around 46,000 full time higher and further education students at any one time, many of whom come from outside the region to study. C

ontext: Later life

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Currently around 40,100 people aged 65 and over living in Newcastle.

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All age bands are expected to increase to 2016 as well as over the longer term

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Most notable changes: those aged over 90 projected to increase by 19.0% by 2016 and by 47.6% by 2021 (1000 people)

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Those aged 70 to 74 are projected to increase by 31.5% over the whole period to 2021 (2,800 people).

• • • • • Half babies born in 2012 will live to 100 Older people with a disability expected to increase in line with an ageing population.

0-24 will stay about same Working age (25-64) decrease -3.7% from 139000 now to 133800 in 2035 By 2020 people over 50s will make up 33% of workforce (47% of adult population) 2

Improving the built environment for our ageing population

Questions before us on leadership

• What is the relationship between the built environment, public spaces and the people in our city as they age?

• How do power and ageing interact to structure city life?

• How do we make sense of the variety of meanings associated with ageing and the opportunities and challenges arising from this diversity?

• What are the alternatives? A thought experiment?

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Key Political Challenge to make the changing demographic a priority for planning, architecture and housing development in the city Our ageing population in the North East is just another challenge to add to the list . . .

• • • • • • Child poverty Structural unemployment in the region; Time of austerity; budget cuts.

Community race relations Poor educational achievements… Poor health: long term conditions, obesity, alcohol, drugs 4

. . . And there are many reasons not to act

• It’s up to central government to find the answers • It’s too complex/difficult • The fair options are unaffordable and the affordable options are unfair • Motherhood and apple pie 5

To cut through this we needed . . .

A new narrative and imagery that: • that builds on our strengths… • opens the door for innovation… • involves businesses… • challenges the medical model of ageing… • and captures the attention of colleagues, partners and community activists and groups… 6

We also looked at things through a different lens . . .

Older people are not just service users - they are citizens, consumers, voters; and so, :

• they can be place shapers • an asset to the city • part of the solution to other challenges –Economic development – here come the baby boomers!

–Cohesive and vibrant communities – carers and volunteers –health and community issues 7

We also looked at things through a different lens . . .

Older people are not just service users - they are citizens, consumers, voters; and so, :

• they can be place shapers • an asset to the city • part of the solution to other challenges –Economic development – here come the baby boomers!

–Cohesive and vibrant communities – carers and volunteers –They contribute to the local and national economy 8

Highlighted Key Political Priorities for the city E.g. Healthy Life Expectancy - Geographical inequality

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Ageing in Place is an inter-generational priority Inter-generational solidarity vs conflict

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The Newcastle Journey to date

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STAGE ONE

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Ageing demographic recognised by health and social care professionals

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Older people defined as a problem

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STAGE TWO

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Living longer is something to celebrate

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Older people are citizens

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Newcastle Older People’s Strategy

‘Everyone’s Tomorrow’

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AFC: CULTURE SHIFT NEEDED

• new concepts on ageing demographic • New shared language/definitions of AFC • New assumptions, practices, skills • new core set of ethical insights for practical application: so people less vulnerable to random cruelties of fate and indignity of powerlessness, poor end of life care • Beyond services: focus on urban design, Digital Technology and economics: 12

AFC: RISKY SHIFT

• Act of faith; doesn’t proceed in orderly way and takes time to bring people with you; • Force of best arguments may not decide course of actions in changing city cultures: e.g financial; • Different expectations of leadership and skills needed; • Cross party political engagement at all levels of government key to mobilising significant people, stakeholders and resources to make change; • New narrative: media, religious, community leaders needed to gather support for AFC may have different interests 13

Leadership challenges. How to begin?

• Needed to scale up and broaden our initiatives and abandon political, policy, research and practice frameworks that no longer work for present and future realities of our city; • Agree need to break out of paradigm of ageing as a burden with focus only gerontology and services. • Differences between cities mean no one blue print for success but good to make political connections across EU initiatives on how to set new political frameworks for implementing change. • How to establish a shared civic leadership supporting action on the built environment to make it all age friendly 14

The Newcastle Journey as an AFC Key principles

• To take a step-change to becoming an age-friendly city • To move from thinking exclusively about ‘oldness’ and ‘older people’ to thinking about the implications of demographic change on the changing shape of our society and taking a life course approach.

• To ensure work on ageing is not a separate silo in city planning. • A partnership with a wide range of thought and action leaders including older people 15

STAGE THREE OF JOURNEY – A Political Sea Change

• Newcastle delegation attend the WHO conference in Dublin • Policy Cabinet – ‘What would make Newcastle a good place to grow old?’ • Motion to City Council to sign the ‘Dublin Declaration’ • Establish a City Wide Group setting a Strategic Framework on partnerships to meet priorities • Share ideas and experiences in local, regional, national and international forums 16

AFC: Newcastle Leadership and operational FrameworkS

Dublin Declaration: Making it happen

• Describes the ‘WHAT’ of tasks ahead. We are focusing on the ‘HOW’ • • Political and Civic Leadership: How we achieve traction on all strands of activity in the Declaration; Co-ordinate at local level to achieve a coherent approach; scale-up at a European level?

Two Frameworks:

• WHO Global Age-friendly City guide – Essential features for an age-friendly • WHO European Healthy Cities ‘Healthy Ageing Sub-network’ – building the pre requisites for success 17

Age Friendly City Strategy Group

• Key strategic partners with decision making powers • Provides leadership on making Newcastle an age friendly city • Acts as a resource of knowledge and expertise • Provides access to mentors/partners/alliances • Acts as a platform for innovation through working groups:

AFC: Where we are now CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, SUCCESS

• CHALLENGES: Political, economic, social and technical, attitudinal • OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEADING CHANGE: releasing skills, social and economic capital of older people; joined-up Age Friendly neighbourhoods and communities etc; • EVALUATING WHAT SUCCESS might look like when link ageing, health, the built environment/housing, economy? • About to have three Workshops with key decision makers explicitly making the connections 19

Complex range of leadership and influences on thinking and action

NEW AGES - Bertolt Brecht A new age does not begin all of a sudden My grandfather was already living in the new age My grandson will probably still be living in the old one.

The new meat is eaten with old forks It was not the first cars Nor the tanks It was not the airplanes over our roofs Nor the bombers From new transmitters came the old stupidities Wisdom was passed on from mouth to mouth

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