In last week’s Newsletter the idea of “place” was introduced (Newsletter# 152 A Place Called Home) . It is an environment in which older people age happily and safely. It includes the home but also the wider senses of community. The W.H.O. provides a broader framework to understand the dimensions of “place”.

They worked with older people to better understand what would they want in order to feel safe and happy in a city? They ran focus groups of older people in 33 cities across the world. They selected from countries at different stages of development. They involved small and large cities. In total they conducted 158 meetings. These included older people but also care-givers.

They found that there were eight different important groupings. These were the domains thought important. The W.H.O. provides guidelines for each. Some covered the physical aspects of the environment and others the social.

Housing

In last week’s Newsletter the importance of the home was stressed. The W.H.O. research participants agreed. They recognized the importance of housing to older people. Older people can spend up to 80% of their daylight hours within their house. The W.H.O. stress that existing properties need to fit the needs of frail people. They need to be made accessible and safe. They also specify high access standards for new builds.

Outdoor spaces and buildings

Many of the W.H.O. guidelines deal with the “built environment”. The physical spaces within which we live our lives. There are accessibility issues with being “age friendly”. These can be access to buildings or the streets and roads on which older people walk. Crossings have to be age friendly. The separation of cars and people is increasingly needed.

Singapore has embraced the “age friendly model”. They have redesigned the streets and roads. They have separated the cars from the pedestrians. They have even slowed down the escalators in subway stations popular with the old. They recognized that built space can also influence physical activity. They created more green spaces. Paths along which to walk and benches on which to rest (Newsletter #120 A Country for All Ages).

Security was flagged by all groups when it came to outdoor spaces. Older people want to feel safe when walking around. This can come from the physical environment. The distance to different facilities and the road safety features can all help. The social context can also create that sense of security. The familiarity of the people in a neighbourhood alone helps.

Community Support and Health Services

Chronic diseases create a strong desire for local health and social services. These need to be community based and be accessible to people with reduced mobility. Those services have to be well “signposted”, for the frail especially. Often services exist but potential users do not know how to access them. That can involve everything from social media to signposts and local support groups.

Transportation

Being able to drive adds to an older person’s sense of independence (Newsletter # 125 Driving Ageism). They need access to their cars and safe places to park them. If necessary, their cars need to be adapted. Modern “smart cars” are helping. Improved visibility and tracking of the vehicles position on the road can improve driving and confidence. When driving has to stop then independence comes from public transport. It has to be convenient, predictable and accessible. All the focus group participants associated good public transport with quality of life.

Being an age friendly city goes beyond the physical buildings, roads and streets. It includes the creation of the social fabric of the city. The older people around the world saw separate but interlinked domains.

Respect and Social Inclusion.

We all need to feel that we are valued in our “community”. For older people the neighbourhood increasingly provides this. Due to their familiarity neighbours can provide a network of social support. One might expect that an older community might be preferable. Interestingly older people seem to prefer heterogeneous neighbourhoods. They like a broad range of ages.

Social Participation

Social participation mitigates loneliness and improves health and quality of life (Newsletter # 149 Social Participation) . It improves ability to age in place. The W.H.O. stress the importance of providing affordable and accessible social activities. Public spaces to provide social interaction. Singapore provides multiple clubs and locations where older people can congregate.

Civic Participation and Employment

The W.H.O. highlights the importance of maintaining participation as people age. This can involve duties such as voting or attending community meetings. It often involves volunteering. This enables older people to maintain social contacts. It promotes involvement in neighbourhood events and politics.

Healthy ageing means that older people want to carry on working. Creating the kinds of jobs that are flexible and easy to do is a major priority. Convenience stores in Japan are experimenting with avatar servers. These are not dumb or powered by AI. Instead, each represents a real person working from home. These are often older people who welcome the interaction. They also get self-respect by working.

Communication and Information

The provision of information is an overarching theme for the W.H.O. It is the key to allowing older people to manage their lives and to stay connected to their community. It can come from all kinds of media and increasingly from the internet.

A W.H.O. Success Story.

Since the inception of the “Age-Friendly City" program it has continued to grow. Today there are over 1542 cities and communities within the scheme. They are in 51 different countries on every continent. They range from huge cities such as Greater Manchester to small villages. The WHO estimate that they are covering 320 million people worldwide. The coverage is still growing