Understanding Aging in Place: Home and Community Features, Perceived Age-Friendliness of Community, and Intention Toward Aging in Place

Abstract

Background and objectives: Promoting age-friendliness of communities and supporting aging in place (AIP) are of great importance. Based on processes of belonging and agency, which suggest that person-environment interactions influence residents' evaluations and behaviors related to the environment, this study aims to examine the interrelationship between the availability of age-friendly features, perceived age-friendliness of community, and intention toward AIP.

Research design and methods: This study used the 2015 AARP Age-Friendly Community Survey, which includes 66 home and neighborhood features under the 8 domains specified by the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities Guidelines. A series of regression and mediational analyses were conducted to test hypotheses.

Results: Overall, a greater availability of age-friendly features was positively associated with perceived age-friendliness of community and AIP intention. The relationship between age-friendly features and AIP intention was mediated by perceived age-friendliness of community (50.3%-96% of the total effects). When perceived age-friendliness of community was introduced to models, the direct effects of housing, outdoor spaces and buildings, and transportation domains remained significant.

Discussion and implications: Findings suggest that a greater availability of age-friendly features influences older adults' perception on their community, leading to the development of a desire to age in place, supporting processes of belonging and agency. Domains of housing, outdoor spaces and buildings, and transportation may be the most important features in promoting age-friendliness of community and the key determinants of AIP. Policymakers and practitioners may need to prioritize promoting an age-friendly built environment before the social environment in building age-friendly communities.

Keywords: Age-friendly community; Built environment; Ecology of aging; Mediation; Person–environment interaction.