Age-Friendly Rural Communities: Conceptualizing 'Best-Fit'

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rural Studies
• Community Planning

Background:

• Existing age-friendly community literature primarily focuses on urban aging models.
• This overlooks the unique characteristics and challenges of rural communities.
• A gap exists in understanding the fit between older adults and their rural environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the concept of community in rural settings for older adults.
• To investigate what constitutes a good fit between older people and their rural environments.
• To propose a reconceptualization of the age-friendly community definition.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of autobiographical and biographical accounts of two distinct rural environments: bucolic and bypassed communities.
• Examination of the needs and resources of marginalized and community-active older adults in these settings.

Main Results:

• Rural communities present diverse living environments and older adult populations.
• The needs and resources of older adults vary significantly based on their community and level of engagement.
• A one-size-fits-all definition of age-friendly communities is inadequate for rural contexts.

Conclusions:

• The World Health Organization's (WHO) 2007 age-friendly definition requires reconceptualization.
• The definition should explicitly accommodate diverse rural community needs and resources.
• An inclusive, interactive, and dynamic approach is needed to reflect changes in people and places over time.