Abstract
This study aims to identify relationships between age-friendly environments (in terms of social and physical neighborhood attributes) and older people’s overall well-being, as well as the underlying instrumental goals to achieve overall well-being. A sample of 945 community-dwelling older adults living in Rotterdam’s districts Lombardijen, Lage Land/Prinsenland, Oude Westen, and Vreewijk was asked to complete a questionnaire in 2013. A total of 588 (62%) responded. The majority (56%) of respondents was female, 19% had low educational levels, 35% were married, and 85% were born in the Netherlands. Mean age was 77.1 ± 5.3 (range 70–93) years. Levels of age-friendliness and older people’s ability to realize the instrumental goals to achieve overall well-being varied tremendously among neighborhoods, with older people living in less age-friendly communities reporting lower levels of well-being. These differences in well-being resulted especially from differences in affection, behavioral confirmation, and comfort. Higher-educated older persons were more critical regarding the domains civic participation, transportation, and communication and information in their neighborhoods, suggesting a socioeconomic gradient in the perceived lack of neighborhood attributes facilitating aging in place. Currently, physical and social neighborhood attributes enabling aging in place seem to satisfy the needs for affection, behavioral confirmation, and comfort in some, but not all, neighborhoods. Levels of age-friendliness in neighborhoods did not explain differences in opportunities for older people to realize the instrumental goals of status and stimulation.
Highlights
With populations aging rapidly, service providers and policy makers are increasingly aware of the importance of building and maintaining age-friendly communities (Lui et al 2009)
Significant negative relationships were found between missing neighborhood attributes and the instrumental goals of comfort (r = - .17, p \ .001), affection (r = - .26, p \ .001), and behavioral confirmation (r = - .17, p \ .001)
The increasing importance of environmental gerontology (Kendig 2003; Phillips et al 2005; Wahl et al 2003) has further intensified discussions related to the development of such communities
Summary
Service providers and policy makers are increasingly aware of the importance of building and maintaining age-friendly communities (Lui et al 2009). As people age they become frailer, which increases their needs for neighbourhood characteristics enabling them to age in place (Cramm et al 2016). Living in an environment where people are trustworthy, help each other when needed (even when it is not convenient), and do not try to profit at others’ expense is expected to benefit the well-being of community-dwelling older people. Neighborhood social relationships may be an important resource on which older people can rely to help them age in place
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