Developing indicators for the Age-Friendly Cities and Counties Programme in Ireland

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a study undertaken in Ireland to develop a set of local age-friendly indicators which have been used to support the Age-Friendly Cities and Counties Programme.Design/methodology/approachA concept-validation approach was used to translate the principles and domains of age-friendly communities into a quantitative indicator set. This iterative process involved five steps: identifying potential indicators; consultation; survey testing; data collection and fieldwork; and finalising the indicator set. A participatory approach was also taken to involve local stakeholders in the development and subsequent use of the indicator set and associated data set. A multi-arm approach to communicating and translating these indicators was taken in order to build capacity within multi-stakeholder groups to engage with and appraise quantitative local evidence in this field.FindingsA set of 120 local age-friendly indicators that can be reported nationally and disaggregated to the local authority level was developed. There were challenges faced in communicating the results and supporting the translation of these indicators into local actions. These challenges included indicator, user, and policy factors and involved instrumental, conceptual, and political issues.Originality/valueThe resulting indicator set is the first of its kind in Ireland and fills and important data gap in the local data landscape. Future work will focus on planning for sustaining collection of local data and building capacity among local stakeholders in the management and use of these indicators.