Almost 50 Summerside businesses sign on to become more senior-friendly

48 businesses in the Summerside, P.E.I., area have signed on to participate in an initiative to become more senior-friendly, according to the city'sAge-Friendly Cities Committee more than double the committee's initial plan to have 20 businesses sign on.

Each of those businesses will spend the month of November working with a local senior who has been specially trained.

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"If you don't have a place for seniors to sit down, they may not feel like that's a place where they could go to, because it's going to tax them," said committee chair Judy Lynn Richards.

The group is in year three of a five year plan to achieve the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities designation by 2018.

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The most recent phase involves encouraging local businesses to make slight changes, including clearer signage, friendlier customer service, and making sure there's somewhere in their store to sit and rest. The committee partnered with Home Instead Senior Care for the initiative.

Map of age-friendly businesses to come

"Part of the training is to encourage businesses to ask themselves: what am I doing that is good?" said Richards. "And what ideas can I come up with as a business owner, to contribute to the overall message that seniors are welcome in my business?"

In January, residents of Summerside will receive something new with their utility bill: a map of the municipality that shows which businesses have earned the age-friendly designation. Those businesses will also receive a certificate, and a sticker to place on their door or window.

According to Richards, there were approximately 15,000 people over the age of 55 in Prince County as of 2014. It's estimated that by 2025, 25 per cent of the Canadian population will be over the age of 65, a demographic that the Age-Friendly Cities Committee hopes will find Summerside appealing, as they consider where to spend their golden years.

Richards said even though the deadline for the map has passed, businesses are always welcome to sign up for the training.

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