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Background: Age-friendly environments intend to promote active ageing by facilitating social, mental, and physical participation. This could potentially delay the onset of chronic complex conditions, enabling people to live longer independently at home, and prevent loneliness. This study investigates a community-based living environment in Norway called Helgetun and aims to explore how it can facilitate active ageing. Method: We chose an ethnographic approach consisting of observation, informal conversations, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 residents (11 female, 4 male, ages 62-84). We analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. Result: We developed three themes on facilitating active ageing in this living environment: maintaining self-identity, experiencing growth and development, and feeling a sense of belonging. These themes were related to physical activity levels, social engagement, and overall satisfaction with the living environment. Maintaining self-identity concerned getting a new role in life as well as access to meaningful activities. Experiencing growth and development involved being exposed to new activities, learning new skills, and experiencing mastery. Lastly, feeling a sense of belonging meant feeling safe and part of a group, as well as receiving social support and help. This feeling of social connectedness and safety was reflected in their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, in which most felt relatively unaffected, suggesting that this way of living could increase reliance among this age group. Conclusion: Having a flexible structure, adapting to the core needs and individual resources of the residents, can facilitate active ageing in community-based living environments. Our findings contribute to the growing evidence that these environments increase social and physical engagement, whilst reducing social isolation and loneliness. These findings may be particularly relevant in a Norwegian context-where older adults are less dependent on family for care-and are meant as grounding points for policymakers to reflect upon designing future senior living.

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The longevity and healthy ageing observed in Blue Zones offer valuable insights for contemporary urban neighbourhood planning and design. This paper reviews the age-friendly features of the built environment in Blue Zones, aiming to translate these insights into actionable strategies for urban neighbourhood development. Employing a systematic literature review and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) analysis of Google Street View imagery, this study assesses the built environments in Blue Zones, including housing, public spaces, and transportation systems. Key findings highlight the presence of adaptable housing, building designs that foster a connection with nature, and semi-public spaces that encourage social interaction and physical activity. A notable emphasis on walkability and limited public transport access was observed. The CNN analysis corroborated these findings, providing a quantitative view of age-friendly features. This research contributes to the academic discourse in urban planning and design by providing practical insights for developing age-friendly neighbourhoods, inspired by Blue Zones. It concludes by offering policy advice and future research directions for creating sustainable and inclusive urban environments conducive to ageing populations.

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The age-friendly movement aims to ensure that people can live healthy and meaningful lives as they age. It is committed to activity and inclusion, with policies, services, and structures that enable older adults to remain engaged in activities that they value. We suggest that there is further opportunity for communities to increase inclusion and reduce ageism by improving their "death-friendliness". A death-friendly approach could lay the groundwork for a community in which people do not fear getting old or alienate those who have. To this end, we consider the merits of the compassionate communities framework which has emerged out of palliative care and critical public health. Compassionate communities focus on end-of-life planning, bereavement support, and improved understandings about aging, dying, death, loss, and care. The age-friendly and compassionate communities initiatives are complementary in their objectives but have not yet converged in practice. We suggest that they should.

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Age-friendly initiatives have grown in popularity in their efforts to promote active aging among older adults in Canada and other countries worldwide. However, these initiatives often overlook underrepresented populations, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) older adults, who have unique social and historical contexts which impact their aging experiences. The study involved a survey and key-informant interviews with local leaders, volunteers, staff, and/or LGBTQ2S+ older adults involved in initiatives that were both age and LGBTQ2S+ friendly to explore what it means for a community to be age and LGBTQ2S+ friendly and learn what can further be done to promote these communities. Through a qualitative template analysis, our findings suggest that safety within the social environment should be at the forefront of age-friendly policy initiatives. Considerations and avenues to create this safety and an overall culture of acceptance for all older adults include recognizing generational differences among aging cohorts, increasing LGBTQ2S+ visibility and involvement and highlighting the importance of policy and cultural humility. These considerations and the voices of LGBTQ2S+ older adults need to be integrated into age-friendly community planning and policies to ensure they are inclusive and that all older adults feel safe and can thrive within their communities.

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BACKGROUND: The United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) seeks to create multisectoral changes that align healthy ageing with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given that the SDGs have completed their first five years, the objective of this scoping review was to summarise any efforts launched to directly address the SDGs in older adults in community settings prior to the Decade. This will contribute to providing a baseline against which to track progress and identify gaps. METHODS: Following Cochrane guidelines for scoping reviews, searches were conducted in three electronic databases, five grey-literature websites, and one search engine between April to May 2021; and limited to entries from 2016 to 2020. Abstracts and full texts were double-screened; references of included papers were searched to identify additional candidate publications; and data were extracted independently by two authors, using an adaptation of existing frameworks. Quality assessment was not conducted. RESULTS: In total, we identified 617 peer-review papers, of which only two were included in the review. Grey literature searches generated 31 results, from which ten were included. Overall, the literature was sparse and heterogeneous, consisting of five reports, three policy documents, two non-systematic reviews, one city plan, and one policy appraisal. Initiatives targeting older adults were mentioned under 12 different SDGs, with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) being the most commonly discussed. Also, SDG-based efforts frequently overlapped or aligned to the eight domains of age-friendly environments outlined in the World Health Organisation framework. CONCLUSION: The review has documented the extent, range, and nature of available research and provided an initial evidence backdrop for future research and policy development.

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This paper is situated at the interface of a growing urban studies literature concerned with 'masterplanning' practices in urban planning and another, hitherto relatively discrete, body of research concerned with age-friendly cities and communities. The authors are interested in exploring a gap in aging in place literature around how neighbourhoods and residential settings developed with aging in place principles in mind are experienced and perceived by residents. To explore this research gap, the authors analyse qualitative (primarily interview and focus group) data collected in Park Central, a masterplanned development located in the Campbelltown suburb in the southwest region of the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia. This development was delivered in response to a need identified by the state's land and property development agency, Landcom, for more diverse and affordable medium-density housing in Campbelltown. In particular, a need was identified for housing developments that would be able to sustainably accommodate the changing lifestyle needs of a maturing population in the region. Drawing on our thematic analysis of our data, we discern three key themes in research participants' experiences of Park Central as a place for aging. These themes are elaborated via recourse to excerpts from our data and discussed with a view to informing how the conception, development and practice of further age-friendly communities is approached.

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Ageism promotes the exclusion of older people from society by generating a negative image that they also internalize. The aim of this article is to investigate older people's social self-image, through statements broadcast on a national Spanish radio program aimed at this group. A qualitative analysis was conducted for a random sample from the sound archive for the Radio Nacional de España program Juntos Paso a Paso (Together, Step by Step) (2008-2021), using codes based on the pillars and determinants of active ageing and the three dimensions of ageism. Intercoder agreement was calculated. There were significant findings regarding ageism, gendered ageism and ageing in place, with differences according to size of municipal area. The program in question can be considered a viable secondary source for the research aim. Ageism is most commonly manifested through implicit opinions and invisibilization in family and social contexts. Care activities play a notably central role in responses related to gendered ageism. In relation to ageing in place, older people prefer their habitual environment when they have moderate care needs and accept moves to nursing homes when their needs increase.

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The concept of dementia-friendly cities and communities has achieved great dissemination in the international context since 2016. Although it is usually related with community networks and services, evidence and guidelines show the close relationship between the built environment design, health promotion, and the preservation of relationships with the local surroundings. Recent publications emphasize best practices in urban areas and care management. However, this is a very complex reality in each country depending on the sociosanitary services, the demographic, and geographic structure and many other different aspects including cultural ones. Moreover, design should also consider not only basic aspects such as habitability or universal accessibility, but also heritage, identity, and the feeling of normalized living. Knowledge about international experiences and innovative approaches is, as yet, an object of study as demographic ageing is still challenging all the welfare systems, especially in Europe. This study presents eight descriptive study cases in three different European countries-the United Kingdom, Belgium, and The Netherlands-to analyze the relationship between dementia-friendly initiatives and their intersection with design, urban planning and the provision of care. The results can provide strategic lines for development and innovation towards dementia-friendly societies and cities achieving SDG numbers 3 and 11 simultaneously.

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Intergenerational practice programs provide purposeful interactions between generations. While research reports improved social and behavioral outcomes for cohorts, no study has explored both expert and potential consumer perceptions of the implementation of intergenerational practice programs. This study conducted a Delphi study of expert opinions, as well as a national survey of potential consumers (N = 1020), to provide critical insights into the potential barriers to implementing intergenerational practice programs. Results revealed that 71.3% of potential consumers would participate in intergenerational practice programs if they were available and experts agreed that the program was of benefit to both populations. However, there were shared concerns regarding the transport, safety, and outcomes of the program for participants. Based on our findings we offer several policy considerations in the implementation of intergenerational programs.

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Elderly citizens are concentrated in urban areas and are particularly affected by the immediate residential environment. Cities are unequal and segregated places, where there is an intensification of urban change processes such as gentrification and displacement. We aimed to understand how neighbourhood socioeconomic processes and dynamics influence older people's health. Three bibliographic databases-PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus-were used to identify evidence of the influence of neighbourhood socioeconomic deprivation, socio-spatial segregation, urban renewal, and gentrification on healthy ageing. We followed the method of Arksey and O'Malley, Levac and colleagues, the Joanna Briggs Institute, and the PRISMA-ScR. The included studies (n = 122) were published between 2001 and 2021. Most evaluated neighbourhood deprivation (n = 114), followed by gentrification (n = 5), segregation (n = 2), and urban renewal (n = 1). Overall, older people living in deprived neighbourhoods had worse healthy ageing outcomes than their counterparts living in more advantaged neighbourhoods. Older adults pointed out more negative comments than positive ones for gentrification and urban renewal. As to segregation, the direction of the association was not entirely clear. In conclusion, the literature has not extensively analysed the effects of segregation, gentrification, and urban renewal on healthy ageing, and more quantitative and longitudinal studies should be conducted to draw better inferences.

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At the convergence of population aging and pet-ownership, community stakeholders are well-positioned to support older adults' relationships with companion animals through age-related transitions in health and living arrangements. In this study's setting, a volunteer-based pet care assistance program launched in 2017 to provide practical assistance with pet care for socially disadvantaged, community-dwelling older adults. This case study explored the impacts and feasibility of this and similar programs via (i) an Internet-based environmental scan to compare similar programs and (ii) qualitative interviews with a sampling of diverse community stakeholders (n = 9). A small number of comparable international programs (n = 16) were found. Among these, programs were delivered using a range of funding models; fewer than half involved collaborations across human social services and animal welfare sectors; and none addressed all dimensions of support offered by our local program. Analysis of qualitative interviews highlighted five major themes confirming the value of the volunteer-based approach and the importance of cross-sectoral collaborations in addressing older adults' under-recognized pet care-related needs. Taken together, the findings confirmed the effectiveness of our local program model. Collaborative, cross-sectoral programs that target both human and companion animal well-being hold promise to reduce barriers to pet ownership that many disadvantaged older adults face. This unique approach leverages the health-promoting potential of human-animal relationships in ways that enhance quality of life for individuals, animal welfare, and age-friendliness of communities.

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With the COVID-19 epidemic disproportionately impacting older adults, cities across the United States (U.S.) and the world scrambled to meet the needs of their older residents. Members of the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Communities (AFCs) network rely on cross-system community collaborations and resident voices to create age-friendly social, built, and service environments. These key elements of AFCs place them in a unique position to quickly identify needs of older residents, launch short-term targeted interventions, and support integration of new programs into existing systems for post-crisis sustainability. This essay discusses how one age-friendly community applied key tenets of the Centers for Disease Control's rapid response team model to meet the immediate, short-term needs of older residents for social connection, food, personal protective equipment (PPE), emergency preparedness, and technology utilization. Sustainability of the rapid response interventions was supported through the relationships and structures created by the AFC.

Guidelines to contain disease outbreaks are helpful when responding to outcomes of outbreaks.Age-friendly communities core values align with the tenants of disaster response.Age-friendly communities are well positioned to respond to the consequences of COVID-19.

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BACKGROUND: With rapid population aging, policy makers and service providers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of building and maintaining age-friendly communities. Clearly, "age-friendly" relates to the impact of context on people's well-being. But how? What is an age-friendly community, and does that differ for native and immigrant older people? Up until now, how native and immigrant older people in the Netherlands perceive community age-friendliness, and whether and how age-friendly communities help them realize well-being, remains unknown which limits opportunities to develop appropriate interventions. This article presents a study protocol to identify, theoretically and empirically, how and under what conditions age-friendly communities help native and immigrant older people in the Netherlands realize well-being. We present a theory-guided approach to elucidate differences in neighborhood age-friendliness and requirements for age-friendly community development between native Dutch and immigrant older people. Good interventions are built on good theory. The proposed research will add to theory building by systematically examining what older people get from their neighborhoods and the conditions that influence well-being realization, including the role of individual and neighborhood resources. We posit that physical and social well-being realization will be enhanced in age-friendly communities that support realization of multiple well-being needs and development of solidarity within and between groups in the neighborhood via cross-cutting sharing arrangements. METHODS: We present a mixed-methods design among native and immigrant older people (Turkish, Surinamese and Moroccan) consisting of: (i) Q-studies (combining in-depth interview-based and quantitative analyses); (ii) a pilot survey study; (iii) a main survey study in Rotterdam, the Hague, Utrecht, and Amsterdam; and (iv) focus groups. DISCUSSION: By exploring truly new ground in the field of age-friendly communities, the results of the proposed research will provide new empirical evidence, advance theory, and be helpful for the development of interventions aimed at improving age-friendliness and well-being for native and immigrant older populations, thereby contributing to resolving the societal challenges of caring for and supporting older people in the community.

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Since the early 2000s, a global age-friendly movement has emerged with aspirations to make environments and systems within localities more supportive of long and healthy lives. Despite growth in the social movement over the past decade, research on how to work toward community change, especially in systematic and comprehensive ways across diverse geo-political and sociocultural contexts, has been relatively slower to develop. This special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy aims to accelerate this area. It features articles that advance knowledge on processes and contexts toward enhancing the age-friendliness of cities and communities. In this introductory essay, we provide background on the age-friendly cities and communities movement - including its accomplishments alongside key challenges. We then discuss the importance of research at the intersection of policy and practice to strengthen the movement into the 21st century. Next, we introduce the articles in this special issue, organized under four themes: implementation and sustainability processes; partnerships and multisectoral collaboration; theory-based program design; and policy and practice diffusion. A final article provides an overview of the career contributions of Dr. Frank Caro, an age-friendly champion and gerontologist to whom this special issue is dedicated.

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This interpretive review examined the empirical evidence of the factors that facilitate or hinder the implementation of age-friendly community and city (AFCC) initiatives. Thirteen studies were included in the review. Findings show three themes: enablers (consisting of the subthemes of multilevel leadership and a common vision, effective governance and management, and diverse partnerships); process-related factors (e.g., linking to other strategies); and contextual factors (e.g., rural/urban). Moreover, several underlying influencers intersect with these themes, such as how age-friendliness is conceptualized. This review shows that there is a need for more process evaluations. The AFCC movement would also benefit from drawing on other relevant work, such as literature in the areas of coalitions, public administration, and political studies.

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Age-friendly initiatives often are motivated by a single funding injection from national or sub-national governments, frequently challenging human and financial resources at the community level. To address this problem, this paper examines the challenges and opportunities to sustaining age-friendly programs in the context of a Canadian age-friendly funding program. Based on a qualitative thematic content analysis of interview data with 35 age-friendly committee members drawn from 11 communities, results show that age-friendly sustainability may be conceptualized as an implementation gap between early development stages and long-term viability. Consistent over-dependence on volunteers and on committees' limited capacity may create burnout, limiting sustainability and the extent to which communities can truly become "age-friendly". To close this implementation gap while still remaining true to the grass-roots intention of the global age-friendly agenda, sustainable initiatives should include community champions, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaborations, and systemic municipal involvement.

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Cities around the world are responding to aging populations and equity concerns for older people by developing age-friendly communities plans, following the World Health Organization's guidelines. Such plans, however, often fail to account for the wide diversity of older people in cities, with the result that some older people, including Indigenous older people, do not see their needs reflected in age-friendly planning and policies. This article reports on a study involving 10 older First Nations and Métis women in the city of Prince George, Canada, comparing the expressed needs of these women with two age-friendly action plans: that of the city of Prince George, and that of the Northern Health Authority. Four main categories were raised in a group discussion and interview with these women at the Prince George Native Friendship Centre: availability of health care services, accessibility and affordability of programs and services, special roles of Indigenous Elders, and experiences of racism and discrimination. There are many areas of synergy between the needs expressed by the women and the two action plans; however, certain key areas are missing from the action plans; in particular, specific strategies for attending to the needs of Indigenous and other older populations who often feel marginalized in health care and in age-friendly planning.

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The aging population in rural areas of China faces serious challenges due to urban-rural disparities. In order to improve the active aging of rural older adults, the establishment of age-friendly communities is encouraged. However, globally, the focus is on age-friendly communities in urban areas, not reflecting rural communities. Hence, we addressed the importance of age-friendly rural communities (AFRCs) and aimed to investigate their impact on the quality of life (QoL) of older adults. We examined different perceptions of AFRCs among older adults (aged over 60) and middle-aged people (45-60) in rural communities with questionnaire surveys (n = 470 and 393, respectively). Several statistical methods, such as Chi-squared test, t-test, reliability test, and multiple regression, were adopted to investigate and compare the perceptions of these two. The results indicated that (1) middle-aged people were more satisfied with AFRC components and had a higher QoL than older adults; (2) the QoL of middle-aged people was predicted by housing, accessibility, and outdoor spaces; (3) the QoL of older adults was affected by housing, outdoor spaces, social participation, and public transportation. These findings aid in our understanding of rural communities and the QoL of rural residents. They are helpful for urban planners and policymakers to improve the planning of AFRCs and supplement research on age-friendly communities in rural areas. Practical implementations are proposed for the planning of AFRCs, such as the passive design of residential housing, grouping of community facilities together, and improvement in the hygiene of outdoor spaces in rural areas.

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Senior centers must re-envision their programs to appeal to today's increasingly older and more diverse older adults. Using a purposeful aging framework, this study aims to inform senior center programming by capturing diverse older adults' perspectives on future goals, perceptions of aging, attitudes about senior centers, and experience with technology. Participants age 70 and older (N = 64) joined one of eight focus groups organized by race/ethnicity and preferred spoken language. Transcripts were coded using a grounded theory approach to identify perspectives in each domain. Across groups, shared perspectives included aspirations to make a difference, maintain health and independence, continue learning, and embrace positive perceptions of aging. However, both positive and negative attitudes about participating in senior centers and the effects of technology were presented. We discuss how to redesign senior center programming to meet members' proactive approach to aging and future goals, and facilitate more confidence with new technology.

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Background: The benefits of engaging in outdoor physical activity are numerous for older adults. However, previous work on outdoor monitoring of physical activities did not sufficiently identify how older adults characterize and respond to diverse elements of urban built environments, including structural characteristics, safety attributes, and aesthetics. Objective: To synthesize emerging multidisciplinary trends on the use of connected technologies to assess environmental barriers and stressors among older adults and for persons with disability. Methods: A multidisciplinary overview and literature synthesis. Results: First, we review measurement and monitoring of outdoor physical activity in community environments and during transport using wearable sensing technologies, their contextualization and using smartphone-based applications. We describe physiological responses (e.g., gait patterns, electrodermal activity, brain activity, and heart rate), stressors and physical barriers during outdoor physical activity. Second, we review the use of visual data (e.g., Google street images, Street score) and machine learning algorithms to assess physical (e.g., walkability) and emotional stressors (e.g., stress) in community environments and their impact on human perception. Third, we synthesize the challenges and limitations of using real-time smartphone-based data on driving behavior, incompatibility with software data platforms, and the potential for such data to be confounded by environmental signals in older adults. Lastly, we summarize alternative modes of transport for older adults and for persons with disability. Conclusion: Environmental design for connected technologies, interventions to promote independence and mobility, and to reduce barriers and stressors, likely requires smart connected age and disability-friendly communities and cities.

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