Determining indicators of age-friendly physical environments
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(Published version)
Date
2017
Authors
Shrestha, R.
Sivam, A.
Karuppannan, S.
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Conference paper
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16th National Conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing, 2017, pp.52-56
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16th National Conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing (6 Nov 2017 - 7 Nov 2017 : Perth, Western Australia)
Abstract
Background: Populations are ageing worldwide and the requirements of increasing numbers of older people need to be addressed in planning of cities and .regions. Indicators of the urban physical environment can help identify key dimensions of need for the ageing population and serve as measurable tools to assess and improve the age-friendliness of physical environments. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a framework of resources and structures to enable interventions to improve age-friendliness of a city. However, there is limited knowledge on identifying and categorising the determinants of ageing and age-friendly indicator5) related to the physical environment. Objective: This paper therefore discusses indicators of the age-friendly environment focusing on aspects of the physical environment that are crucial to ageing population. Methods: Relevant research on age-friendly physical environments has been reviewed and scrutinised using document analysis. Results: This extensive review resulted in a list of physical environment indicators that are age-friendly. Conclusions: Cautious consideration should be given to adopting these indicators to obtain an appropriate assessment of age friendliness of a city. Identifying indicators can be the preliminary theme for further ageing research. The success of established indicators, prioritisation of indicators and resulting economic benefits define the success of age-friendly plans and associated challenges. It is important that urban planners are involved in the research on developing indicators of age-friendly physical environment for designing age-friendly cities. Recommendations are aimed at evaluating the identified indicators for further validation for creating age-friendly living environments suitable for the overall well-being of aged people.
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Copyright 2017 Curtin University