Age-friendly Communities Research Articles

Age-friendly Philadelphia: Bringing Diverse Networks Together around Aging Issues

Age-friendly communities are committed to improving the physical and social environments that surround older adults to facilitate independence and neighborhood cohesion. The movement to create these places is being facilitated by policy makers, planners, and researchers from a variety of disciplines who are collaborating under the premise that traditional aging services must be seen within the context of the wider community. Although not a panacea for all the challenges faced by community dwelling elders, this approach will be an important component of the future of environmental gerontology because it rests on acknowledging the effect of the environment on health outcomes.

Making communities age friendly: state and municipal initiatives in Canada and other countries

To promote healthy, active aging, the age-friendly community initiative has evolved in Canada, Spain, Brazil and Australia, among other countries. An age-friendly community provides accessible and inclusive built and social environments where older adults can enjoy good health, participate actively and live in security. The rapid expansion of the initiative in all states can largely be explained by common key activities undertaken by the state, municipal and –in the case of Canada– also federal, governments. These initiatives include strategic engagements and policy action in all states, and knowledge development and exchange in Canada in particular. Strategic engagements involve creating or strengthening collaborative intersectoral relationships to access multiple arenas of decision-making, and addressing all areas that constitute an age-friendly community. With variations across states, policy actions have included the following: declaring the initiative as an official policy direction; establishing model cities to be emulated by other cities; funding community projects; implementing consistent methodology; evaluating implementation, enhancing public visibility, and aligning age-friendly community policy with other state-level policy directions. To stimulate knowledge development and exchange, Canadian efforts have included the creation of a community of practice and of a research and policy network to encourage the development and translation of scientific evidence on aging-supportive communities. These activities are expected to result in a strong and durable integration of older persons’ views, aspirations, rights and needs in municipal, as well as state, planning and policy.

The Importance of Social Connectedness in Building Age-Friendly Communities

The purpose of this paper is to further elucidate the importance of social relationships and social connectedness with aging in place and in developing elder-friendly communities. The process used in this study was inclusive of younger adults (age 40–65) as well as older adults (65+) in order to further understand how they envision a community that could support their own aging in place. A community forum, using the World Café format, was conducted in order to engage community members, 40 years and older, in conversation about the importance of social connectedness in elder-friendly communities. A second purpose of this forum was to obtain data on what would keep aging boomers in their community as they age. Three major themes emerged from qualitative analysis of the forum: social reciprocity, meaningful interactions, and structural needs/barriers. The results of this study reinforce the importance of social connectedness in creating and maintaining elder-friendly communities for older adults, as well as soon-to-be retired individuals, wishing to maintain life connectedness to their community. The study suggests the possibility of using more nontraditional research techniques (such as the World Café process) for gathering community level data.

Using photovoice with older adults: some methodological strengths and issues

ABSTRACTPhotovoice is a qualitative research technique in which participants record and reflect on their community through photography. The technique is gaining popularity as a participatory research methodology. Few studies, however, have described the use of photovoice with older adults. This paper examines the application of photovoice in a qualitative, participatory research study examining age-friendly community characteristics in four communities in Manitoba, Canada. Thirty older adults were provided with cameras and took photographs to illustrate how age-friendly their communities are and participated in group discussions to identify priorities in becoming more age-friendly. The research process and results were analysed in order to assess the application of the methodology with older adults. Photovoice is an effective tool for eliciting older persons’ perceptions of their communities, giving voice to the unique concerns of older adults, and identifying strategies for change. If adapted to accommodate the needs of seniors, this methodology provides an innovative approach to community-based gerontological research. On the other hand, there are a number of challenges to be overcome if photovoice is to be a truly effective research instrument, including recruitment, photography training, retrieving consent forms, and issues of time and distance.

Productive ageing in China: a human capital perspective

In China, it is estimated that the number of people aged 60 and older will reach 171 million in 2010 and 248 million in 2020. By 2051, China's ageing population is expected to peak at 438 million. From human and social capital perspectives, an ageing population and its social networks can be tremendous resources and assets for the country. Productive engagement in later life () has documented significant positive impacts on older adults, families, and society. The challenging question is how to support human capital enhancement among the ageing population. In this paper, the author suggests possible directions for the development of ageing policy and programs so that productive social engagement among China's ageing population will be maximized. Strategies on how to enhance human capital of older adults in the context of volunteerism, social entrepreneurship, and age-friendly community development are discussed.

The Louth Age-Friendly Community Survey: Attitudes towards technology and associations with indicators of age friendliness

The Louth Age-Friendly Community Survey: Attitudes towards technology and associations with indicators of age friendliness

What makes a community age‐friendly: A review of international literature

This paper undertakes a comprehensive review of the growing international literature on age-friendly communities. It examines a range of approaches and identifies the key attributes associated with creating a sustainable environment for seniors. The authors critically evaluate emerging policy trends and models and suggest directions for future research attention. The discussion provides important information and insights for the development of ageing policy and planning in Australia.