[Peer-advice for aging in place: An exploratory study on the perspectives of community-dwelling older adults]

The number of older people ageing in place is growing, and support for this population group is declining. To reduce the pressure on elderly care and to guarantee the quality of care for older people, new solutions for support are needed. Peer-advice for ageing in place could contribute to this. The aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of older people on peer-advice to support ageing in place. Two complementary research methods were used: a questionnaire of 263 older people and five focus groups with 35 older people in total. Descriptive and thematic analyses resulted in three main themes: 1) opportunities and barriers of receiving and giving peer-advice, 2) role of peer-advice, and 3) characteristics of a peer-advisor. The results show that receiving and giving peer-advice can be valuable for older people. This study shows that peer-advice offers a valuable opportunity for supporting older people with ageing in place. To implement peer advice for ageing in place and make it widely accessible, a good alignment of tasks must be sought with professional advisors in the various Dutch municipalities.