Age-friendly Businesses

Why Become an Age-friendly Business?

Over 845,000ⁱ British Columbians are 65 or older, and the post-war baby boomer generation began to turn 65 in 2011. If your business is age-friendly you can attract and keep customers and employees within this expanding demographic.

ⁱCensus Profile, 2016 Census - British Columbia [Province] and Canada [Country] (statcan.gc.ca)

What is an Age-friendly Business?

An age-friendly business focuses on making sure that older customers are safe, comfortable and respected by including such features as:

• non-slip surfaces, wider aisles and easily-opened doors;
• clear signage;
• places to sit and refresh; and
• patient, helpful staff.

A business that is comfortable for older customers will also be comfortable for other customers, such as: pregnant women; parents with children in strollers; people with sight, hearing, mobility or other limitations; or people whose first language is not English.

Creating an Age-friendly Business in B.C.

The guide "Creating an Age-friendly Business in B.C." was developed based on input from older adults and small businesses around the province.

It includes:

• Ideas on how to better serve older customers in terms of safety, comfort, visibility and clarity and respect;
• Examples of what other businesses have done to become more age-friendly; and
• An assessment checklist to help determine what steps could be taken to make a business more age-friendly.

Creating an Age-friendly Business in B.C. (PDF, 2.2MB)