THE AGE-FRIENDLY UNIVERSITY INITIATIVE: BRIDGING COMMUNITY AND ACADEMY

Abstract

An age-friendly university movement is transforming traditional universities into centers of lifelong learning that support active, healthy aging and include older adults in the core elements of the university. Initiated by Dublin City University (DCU), Dublin, Ireland and expanded as a collaboration between DCU, Arizona State University, United States, and the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, this international initiative spawned an inaugural international conference in 2015. In May 2016, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), an educational unit of the Gerontology Society of America, announced its endorsement of the ten age-friendly principles which provide a guiding framework for developing, distinguishing, and evaluating age-friendly programs and policies. This session will present the history of the age-friendly university initiative and international collaboration, present the ten principles of an age-friendly university, discuss the experiences and challenges of the founding universities in this growing movement, and present a model of sustainability for universities considering joining the age-friendly initiative.