Age-friendly Communities Research Articles

Towards a Communication Ecology in the Life of Rural Senior Citizens: How Rural Public Spaces Influence Community Engagement

The dilemma of weak participation and non-participation of rural communities is a universal topic of global development. The rural public space is an important field for local residents to interact, communicate, and engage with each other, and is an important place for the sustainable development of rural areas. However, previous studies have neglected to understand the intrinsic connection between rural public space and community participation from the perspective of community communication ecology. Based on the concept of age-friendly communities, this study’s fieldwork in rural Shanghai, China, using the methodology of grounded theory, found that physical, social, and psychological factors all have an impact on community engagement among rural residents. Specifically, environmental quality, facility support, community networks, social participation, call to action, place attachment, spatial perception, and self-transformation are identified as the core elements that significantly influence community engagement among rural residents. This study further reveals that the multiple factors influencing community engagement among rural residents are complex and interdependent rather than operating independently. Spatial support, communicative triggers, and symbolic identification, respectively, operate at the technological level (physical–social factors), social level (social–psychological factors), and discursive level (psychological–physical factors) to promote community engagement among older adults in Chinese rural areas. Through this research, we hope to further the realization of rural civic engagement and the sustainability of local communities and to provide scholarly insights into the promotion of more equitable community life.

“I’m Part of Something That Matters”: Exploring What Older Adults Value Through Their Engagement in Age-Friendly Community Initiatives

ABSTRACT Older adults’ engagement in age-friendly community (AFC) initiatives is considered an essential element of community transformation. However, research on older adults’ experiences of engaging in AFC initiatives remains nascent. Based on qualitative interviews with 23 older adult participants from 15 AFC initiatives across four states in the United States (U.S.), our reflexive thematic analysisidentified three themes regarding what participants value from their engagement: (a) social contribution; (b) social connectedness and integration; and (c) staying active and personal growth. Exploring older adults’ interest in contributing to, connecting with, and growing in their community can inform recruitment and retention in AFC initiatives.

Contribution of the age-friendly communities in the well-being of the older adults: a study of Pune City

ABSTRACT This research investigates the contribution of age-friendly communities to Pune people’s well-being. This study assesses the relation between the eight dimensions of age-friendly communities, as the WHO suggested, and the life satisfaction of older adults. The dimensions studied include outdoor spaces and buildings, social participation, transportation, respect and social inclusion, housing, civic participation and employment, community support and health services, and communication and information. The research methodology involved primary data collection through a survey, and analysis was done using structural equation modelling. The findings of this study suggest that age-friendly communities significantly impact the life satisfaction of the older adult population in Pune. Specifically, the dimensions of social participation, community support and health services, and respect and social inclusion had the greatest impact on life satisfaction among older adults. These findings highlight the significance of developing age-friendly communities to promote the well-being of the older adult population in India. This study offers insightful results for policymakers, community leaders, and individuals advocating active and healthy ageing among older adults.

Sustainable transitions in age-friendly communities in Europe: a participatory approach

The ageing European population is driving the demand for age-friendly communities that support older individuals’ health and well-being. As communities navigate this transition, Transition Design emerges as a promising approach for addressing complex social and environmental challenges. This study explores the potential of Transition Design to create age-friendly communities in Europe. Drawing on examples from several European countries, this paper describes the key principles of Transition Design and how they can be applied to the development of age-friendly communities. This article highlights the importance of participatory processes in involving older people and other stakeholders in the design process, and discusses the role of technology in creating more accessible and inclusive environments. It also considers some of the challenges of implementing a transition design approach in a European context. In conclusion, this study asserts that Transition Design offers a promising approach for creating sustainable, inclusive, and responsive age-friendly communities.

Egyptian framework for an age-friendly built environment

In recent years, the Egyptian demographic has changed with an increasing number of older citizens who require special attention. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified 2020–2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing” in response to the worldwide demographic changes. Many international organizations have identified the built environment features of age‐friendly communities, yet they have not been thoroughly analyzed in the Egyptian context. Today, urban designers and city planners have to establish age-friendly communities that can facilitate well-being in old age. The paper aims to provide “Egyptian framework for an age-friendly built environment E-FAB”, that can help architects, urban designers, and decision-makers evaluate Egyptian urban communities towards being age-friendly. The E-FAB is created and designed based on an analytical theoretical approach focused on active older people’s definitions, needs, their relation to the built and social environments, and previous practices of age-friendly cities and communities. In addition, a comparative analysis between previous studies in age-friendly communities. Then, the paper conducted semi-structured interviews targeting active older people, aiming to refine and rank the built environment features of the E-FAB by using SPSS. The findings revealed that the E-FAB is expected to be an initial simple evaluating framework that could contribute positively to improving Egyptian urban areas to be more friendly to older people and address their needs in the built environment.

Community Governance in Age-Friendly Community Regeneration—A Case Study on Installing Elevators in Old Residential Buildings

The rise in aging world populations poses enormous concerns, among which is the critical topic of how to promote active aging by improving the health and well-being of the elderly. Accordingly, installing elevators in old residential buildings has become a main issue in age-friendly community regeneration to make it easier for the elderly to go outside. There is limited evidence on stakeholder involvement in age-friendly community regeneration. Some studies have overlooked the fact that fostering age-friendly communities in developing countries requires innovative governance for inclusive physical and social features despite the low awareness of citizen engagement. With reference to community governance as a structure and process, a theoretical framework is proposed to understand the practice of elevator installation in age-friendly community regeneration in Guangzhou, China. This study adopted the questionnaire survey method and collected 455 valid samples (150 valid samples with installed elevators; 305 valid samples did not install elevators). The findings led to the following conclusions: (1) shared common interests lead to effective community governance and smooth elevator installation; (2) some communities failed to install elevators due to opposition from people whose interests were hindered; and (3) it is important to set up self-governing organizations and find key people in community governance for interest-based negotiation. This paper’s contribution is that it makes up for the deficiency in the previous research that has neglected the elderly’s participation in public affairs via age-friendly community regeneration. Finally, this study suggests further research on the dynamic processes of different types of age-friendly community regeneration affairs.

The Association Between Family Support and Changes in Self-Rated Health Among Chinese Older Adults: How Living Arrangements Moderate the Association?

ObjectivesThe study intends to investigate the association between family support and older adult health as well as the interaction between family support and living arrangements on their health. DesignCross-sectional study. Setting and ParticipantsSamples included in the final analysis (N = 11,430) come from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). MethodsMultiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the associations between family supports, multiplicative interaction of family supports and living arrangements, and self-rated health change. Subgroup analysis on disabled older adults was supplemented. ResultsOlder adult individuals who received functional support, provided financial support, and had frequent emotional communication with their children in the past year reported better self-rated health. Moreover, having frequent emotional communication with children could bring better self-rated health for the older adults living with spouses and children (ORbetter vs same = 2.765, P < .01) and empty nesters who lived without children (ORbetter vs same = 1.551, P < .05). Conclusions and ImplicationsOur findings imply that functional support and emotional support may play an increasingly important role in the health of Chinese older individuals. The interaction between emotional support and 2 living arrangements mentioned above is relevant to better health of older individuals. We advocate for culturally tailored Age-Friendly Communities augmenting the geriatric health care framework. While bolstering social support for seniors, prioritizing fundamental needs is paramount for those with disabilities.

Construction and improvement strategies of an age-friendly evaluation system for public spaces in affordable housing communities: a case study of Shenzhen.

Characterized by early construction periods, as the concentration of low-income populations and a high level of aging, affordable housing communities face prominent challenges such as incongruence between age-friendly construction and the needs of the older adult population. It is urgent to provide pathways and tools for identifying age-friendly issues and optimizing the built environment. The systematic evaluation of age-friendly communities serves as the foundation for implementing intervention measures by developers. Therefore, the construction of a scientifically systematic evaluation system becomes an objective necessity for age-friendly community development. Building upon existing research, this study systematically outlines the subjects, processes, methods, and content involved in constructing an age-friendly community evaluation system. By the methods such as factor analysis and analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the study focuses on the public spaces of affordable housing communities in Shenzhen as a case for constructing an age-friendly evaluation system. The empirical validation of the indicator system is conducted, and the application results are resulted into concrete improvement recommendations and action items, aiming to provide a practical, quantitative tool for community age-friendliness evaluation. The study reveals that adhering to an effective evaluation process, exploring collaborations among multiple stakeholders, determining hierarchical evaluation criteria, and adopting diversified evaluation methods are key to constructing an age-friendly evaluation system for communities. Additionally, the specificity of the evaluation system is influenced by regional demographic structures, policy backgrounds, and the built environment.

Caring neighbourhoods in Belgium: lessons learned on the development, implementation and evaluation of 35 caring neighbourhood projects.

In recent years, there has been a rise in international (care) movements that prioritise community-centred initiatives such as age-friendly communities, compassionate communities or integrated community care. Although these movements have different focal points, they share common features: seeking to address systemic failures in (care) services, value the participation of end-users, focus on unmet (care) needs, through a local, neighbourhood-oriented approach. In the Flemish and Brussels regions notably the concept of Caring Neighbourhoods is experiencing rapid growth. The objective of the present study is to examine the development and implementation of 35 Caring Neighbourhood initiatives in Flanders and Brussels (Belgium) to explore the added value of such projects, as well as the crucial elements for creating Caring Neighbourhoods. Thirty-five caring neighbourhood projects were examined by means of five focus group interviews with project coordinators (n = 34) and five focus group interviews with neighbourhood residents (n = 27), using participant-generated photo elicitation. The focus group sessions were recorded, transcribed and data were labelled using an inductive analytical framework, following the steps of reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis of the 35 Caring Neighbourhoods showed that fostering connections was key in building Caring Neighbourhoods: connections among residents, connections between residents and care and support services and among care services themselves. The three primary ways to connect people were through activities, places and people. Also, the role of the Caring Neighbourhood coordinator is highlighted as key, which should focus on weaving existing resources, facilitating and coaching instead of organising. Altogether, the projects brought meaning and value to participants' lives, enhancing overall life satisfaction and well-being, with an emphasis on physical and psychosocial care and support. Through critically reflecting on our results and other research, we call on researchers to pay increased attention in research on community-centred care initiatives to death, dying and grief, equity and social justice and the need for both warm and cold solidarity.

Effect of Age-Friendly Communities Action Plan on Trajectories of Older Canadians' Depressive Symptoms Between 2018 and 2020: Multilevel Results From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted mental health, this longitudinal study examined the effect of age-friendly communities (AFC) action plan on older adults' depressive symptoms. Using the CLSA, the CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire study, survey of Canadian municipalities, and the census, the depressive symptoms trajectories were modeled with multilevel multinomial regressions. Most respondents (66.1%) had non-depressed trajectories, 28.1% experienced a moderate increase in depressive symptoms, and 5.8% had a depressed trajectory. AFC action plans did not have a protective effect on these trajectories. Being a female, greater loneliness, lower income, ≥2 chronic conditions, inferior social participation, weaker sense of belonging, COVID-19 infection, and pandemic stressors predicted a depressed trajectory. Neighborhood's deprivation had a weak protective effect on the declining trajectory. Although AFC action plans provided no benefits during the pandemic, volunteers facilitating resource access and social interactions could limit any increase in depressive symptoms.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERGENERATIONAL AND AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY: APPLICATION OF THE SOCIAL CAPITAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract In intergenerational programs, people from multiple generations share their talents, build healthy social relationships, and experience improved well-being and social presence and identity (Lee et al., 2021). As a part of age-friendly community initiative in a small city in the Northeast, an intergenerational engagement community project, named “Senior to Senior”, involved a multi-year partnership among community agencies, including the local Office for Aging, a university, a high school, a senior center, and a church. As part of this partnership, a community dance was held in May of 2022, where local high school students and older adults participated in a variety of intergenerational activities. This study explored how the principles of social capital are incorporated into the development of intergenerational and age-friendly communities. Using focus groups with community partners (n=6) and surveys with older adult participants (n=29), the research team sought to describe how community agencies collaborate on the development of intergenerational and age-friendly communities. Carpiano’s framework of social capital (2008) guided the data analysis and the development of following themes: (a) importance of social capital identification; (b) development of social cohesion among multiple generations; (c) assessment of social antecedent for the development of intergenerational and age-friendly community; and, (d) outcomes of the community events on diverse stakeholders. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the contextual factors of each community and the agencies within, while also elucidating the necessity of stakeholder buy-in for the sustainable development of intergenerational and age-friendly communities.

EXPLORING SECTORAL REACH IN AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES

Abstract There is increasing interest in better understanding the sectoral reach of age-friendly community practice. Action across a wide variety of actors is central to achieving age-friendly societal change according to the World Health Organization and an explicit goal for governmental participation in its Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the scope of sectoral reach by age-friendly communities. We used qualitative inquiry to assess sectoral efforts reported by American age-friendly communities that completed a five-year cycle of participation (n=40). We employed directed content analysis using a priori indicators by sectoral actors: public (i.e., government), private (i.e., business), and civil society including nonprofit organizations and volunteers. We classify sectoral actions by type (i.e., intersectoral, multisectoral) and by clustered domain community foci (i.e., built, social, service). Our study identifies the extent and types of sectoral actors and actions reported by age-friendly communities with the greatest efforts reported in the public sector, and while similarly distributed across all the domains, slightly more efforts were noted in the built environment. We also found greater intersectoral efforts (i.e., explicitly working towards shared goals) than multisectoral (i.e., not necessarily in collaboration on shared goals), particularly across government. While our study substantiates the breadth of actions towards age-friendly change, additional research is needed to examine the ways in which the public and other sectoral actions are further linked to outcomes in communities in the United States and in other countries.

RESEARCH TO STRENGTHEN, INNOVATE, AND TRANSFORM AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY PRACTICE

Abstract There is much research being conducted to better understand and advance age-friendly community practice. This symposium presents research from leading age-friendly researchers and practitioners across the United States. Drs. Black and Oh provide an analysis of the nation’s sectoral efforts based on progress reported by the age-friendly communities. Drs. Hernandez and Coyle will describe the research and community engagement that led to the development of an aging equity conceptual framework and examples of how it is being operationalized in the City of Boston. Drs. Greenfield and doctoral student Pope will present on a scoping review of studies in the U.S. and Canada on the range of ways in which the public sector participates in age-friendly community efforts. Drs. Coyle and Oh and doctoral students Gleason and Somerville present on a study that explored factors inhibiting communities from officially joining the age-friendly network. Dr. Perry reports on efforts to elevate the voice of older adults on social justice issues pertaining to aging in place in the domain of housing. Individual abstracts provide further detail on each study’s methods and findings.

THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF PLACE ATTACHMENT ON ATTITUDE TOWARD AGING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

Abstract Psychological well-being has become a social challenge for vulnerable older adults and age-friendly cities/communities has been a key aging policy focusing on environmental factors to enhance well-being in Taiwan. However, how older adults perceive their living environments and whether it is important when advocating older adults’ positive attitudes toward aging leading to psychological well-being remains unknown. One of the place attachment dimensions is psychological attachment which has attracted attention in planning for aging in place and age-friendly communities (Aliakbarzadeh et al., 2021; 2022). This study aims to investigate whether psychological attachment mediated the relationship between attitudes toward aging and psychological well-being among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. A faced-to-faced interview of 306 individuals aged 50 and over living in the community were interviewed. The Cronbach’s alpha of all scales was over 0.70 which showed good reliability. The associations and mediation effects were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) and the model fitted the data adequately. After controlling for sex and age, the SEM findings demonstrated that the lower level of negative attitudes toward aging were significantly and positively associated with well-being (direct effect = 0.16, p &amp;lt;0.05). Furthermore, the lower level of negative attitudes toward aging was positively related with place attachment and consequently predicted better psychological well-being (indirect effect = 0.048, p = 0.034; total effect = 0.209, p= 0.003). We suggest that place attachment should be monitored in the policy of age-friendly communities while improving older adults’ positive attitudes toward aging leading to a better sense of well-being.

HOUSING ATTRIBUTE PREFERENCES WHEN CONSIDERING RELOCATION IN OLDER AGE

Abstract For the last decades, interdisciplinary researchers have studied housing preferences of various groups in the population. To contribute to knowledge on the needs and preferences of the aging population we have established a cohort (N=1,509) of adults, 55 years or older, who are considering relocation. The baseline survey included questions on the current housing situation and preferences regarding future housing alternatives. The aim was to investigate preferred housing attributes when considering relocation and whether such attributes differed depending on the type of housing participants wanted to move to. Preliminary results show that having a balcony/patio was rated as most important (84%), with significant differences between men and women. Leisure activities and/or social gatherings initiated by the landlord was the least important (1.5%). Differences in preferred attributes were found between those wanting to move to privately-owned housing (e.g., villa), where having a garden (81%) or a view (57%) were the most important attributes, and those wanting to move to an apartment, where having a balcony (86%) or lift (72.6%) were deemed most important. We expect that the longitudinal follow up of the cohort will contribute with new knowledge on housing preferences among people in later life. Such knowledge is important to inform and inspire planners and policymakers to develop more age-friendly communities, including housing options that better meet the needs of this segment of the population.

AGE-FRIENDLY CAMPUSES: NEED AND OPPORTUNITY FOR SYNERGY IN THE AGE-FRIENDLY ECOSYSTEM

Abstract Historic shifts in age demographics are reshaping societies and challenging institutions of higher education to respond to older, more age diverse populations through new approaches to teaching, research, and community engagement. Student populations are also becoming more age diverse with adults looking to higher education for lifelong learning opportunities to enhance their personal and professional development as they age. This presentation will describe the guiding framework and set of principles provided by the Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative to help institutions of higher education shape more age-inclusive practices. Age-friendly campuses can also create opportunities to support other initiatives beyond a campus such as those geared toward age-friendly communities, health care systems, and employers. This presentation will also discuss how synergistic AFU partnerships with other age-friendly initiatives can provide mutual support to strengthen and sustain these efforts. Challenges to this end will also be explored. Examples of existing and promising connections in the ecosystem will be offered to demonstrate the value of this synergy.

AGE-FRIENDLY PARTNER EVALUATION: REVIEWING FLORIDA ACTION PLANS

Abstract Understanding community collaboration is crucial to advance age-friendly community change (Greenfield, et al., 2022). This poster’s purpose is to provide evidence about age-friendly partner involvement to bring awareness to the extent that partnerships are collaborative and holistic at the age-friendly action plan stage. We conducted a qualitative, thematic analysis by reviewing Age-Friendly Florida Action Plans (N = 13) to code for partner involvement. The evaluation used the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Environments framework, which includes 4 cyclical steps: Engage and Understand, Plan, Act, and Measure. The evaluation questions were (1) How many partners are typically involved in action plans? and (2) Which types of partners are typically involved in action plans? The Florida Age-Friendly Communities evaluated have diverse characteristics in community type (e.g., rural, urban, and suburban), population size, and the percentage of the population that is 65+. After an iterative process was conducted between coders, a partner coding structure emerged. The partner coding structure included codes for government, businesses, non-profits, communities, and other partners. Partner themes for each sector (government, businesses, non-profit, community, and other partners) were identified and will be discussed. Overall, results concluded that there were an average of 16 partners involved in age-friendly action plans. On average, age-friendly partners were most involved in the Act step of the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Environments framework. Lastly, government sectors were the most frequent partner identified in age-friendly action plans. Considerations and recommendations for age-friendly partner involvement for creating collaborative and holistic age-friendly partners will be included.

BRIDGE GERIATRIC WORKFORCE EDUCATION CURRICULUM BETWEEN 4M COMPETENCIES AND INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION

Abstract In a provider shortage area, education priority strategy is more practical rather than structure investment priority strategy. In aims of establishing Age-Friendly Community in this state where primary care provider number per capita ranks 50th state, 4Ms (What Matters, Mobility, Medication, Mentation) based interdisciplinary education across medicine, dental, pharmacy, nursing, social work, physical therapy were developed and implemented. We evaluated the impact of 4Ms application on healthcare providers education by measuring served patient outcomes (1) CMS defined Merit Incentive Payment System, patient satisfaction, and healthcare cost and (2) education outcomes of healthcare providers using 4M education competencies. We adopted STEPPS interprofessional communication skill toolkit and applied simulation training with standardized patients.

Daily Activities of Elder Adults Using Optimized Deep Learning Model in China

The health and happiness of seniors can be influenced by the design of public spaces and buildings. Planning for age-friendly communities requires taking into account the wide variety of daily activities and public facility consumption among older persons. Yet, conventional approaches fall short when it comes to providing comprehensive, objective measures of the actions of the elderly. This research proposes an attention-based recognition approach by decomposing neural network outputs into class-dependent features using dictionary learning to improve discrimination performance. This research aimed to develop an empirical typology of activity of daily living (ADL) and its connection to health in China's ageing population. A deep learning-based model was rummaged to categorise the contributors in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS) into subgroups based on their abilities with ADL. To be more precise, the study trains a category-based recognition network (CRN) by superimposing a basic but effective specific recognition encoding (SRE) unit on top of convolutional layers. In order to encode attention maps for each class, the SRE module uses the feature maps produced by the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to learn a class-specific vocabulary. Class-wise adaptive feature refining is achieved by multiplying these attention maps by the input features. In this case, a gazelle optimization algorithm (GOA) handles the hyper-parameter tuning process of the proposed model. This case study is the first of its kind in a dense metropolitan region, and it uses objective measurements to evaluate the activity spaces of the elderly. This research provides empirical data for the promotion of healthy ageing in urban areas.

FORGING A PATH TO DEVELOPING AGE-FRIENDLY CITIES AND COMMUNITIES IN GHANA: ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Abstract The World Health Organization in 2007 launched the Age-friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC) initiative in an effort to make cities around the world more attuned to the needs of older adults. While AFCC initiatives have mostly been undertaken in developed societies around the world, developing countries appear to be excluded in this effort, as there is little to show for in the quest to creating AFCC. One of such countries is Ghana, where the proportion of older adults is expected to increase exponentially in the next decade, thereby heightening the need for AFCC. Utilizing a multiple case study approach, this paper synthesizes the procedures and findings of 16 case studies from around the world published on the eight domains of WHO’s Age-friendly Cities Framework, to make a case for developing AFCC in Ghana. Five important considerations were identified as fundamental to the effort to developing AFCC in Ghana: 1. Strengthening traditional views/perceptions on aging and older adults; 2. Involving key players in age-friendly efforts; 3. Responding to the complex interplay of needs and demands of older adults; 4. Designing policies and social programs to stimulate and enable cities and communities in Ghana to become age-friendly; 5. Developing validated instruments to assess the age-friendliness of cities and communities in Ghana. Designing and implementing AFCC require long-term commitment and devoting considerable resources to the cause. The paper concludes by discussing a culturally-appropriate model and policy recommendations to facilitate the move toward building age-friendly communities and age-inclusive cities in Ghana.