Feldman Penny Hollander, Oberlink Mia R
Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, NY 10021, USA.
Fam Community Health. 2003 Oct-Dec;26(4):268-74. doi: 10.1097/00003727-200310000-00004.
As the US population ages and the number of older people who are "aging in place" increases, communities will face new opportunities and challenges in responding to this population's desires and needs. Qualitative research was conducted to inform the development of a model of an "elder-friendly community" and a set of indicators to measure and help improve community capacity to promote the health and well-being of older residents. Focus groups were conducted in four US cities with younger and older adults and community leaders who identified attributes that make a community a good place in which to grow old. The group interactions were videotaped, transcribed, and analyzed to identify common themes. Results were remarkably similar across sites. Participants said that a community could be considered elder-friendly if it helped older residents continue active participation in the community, sustain their independence, and reduce the risk of isolation. A model of an elder-friendly community, along with corresponding indicators, was created on the basis of focus group results. These tools are being tested in 10 pilot communities to determine their usefulness for measuring older people's health and well-being, prioritizing aging issues, and stimulating and informing action strategies to improve community "elder-friendliness."
随着美国人口老龄化以及选择“就地养老”的老年人数量增加，社区在满足这一人群的愿望和需求方面将面临新的机遇和挑战。开展了定性研究，以指导“老年友好型社区”模型的开发以及一套指标的制定，这些指标用于衡量并帮助提高社区促进老年居民健康和福祉的能力。在美国四个城市对年轻人、老年人以及社区领袖进行了焦点小组访谈，他们确定了使社区成为适合养老的好地方的各种特质。对小组互动进行了录像、转录和分析，以确定共同主题。各地点的结果非常相似。参与者表示，如果一个社区能帮助老年居民继续积极参与社区事务、维持其独立性并降低孤立风险，那么这个社区就可以被视为老年友好型社区。基于焦点小组的结果创建了一个老年友好型社区模型以及相应的指标。这些工具正在10个试点社区进行测试，以确定它们在衡量老年人的健康和福祉、确定老龄化问题的优先次序以及激发和指导改善社区“老年友好度”的行动策略方面的效用。
