Award Winners for Volume 10
Livable and Age-Friendly Communities: A Scoping Review of Conceptual Frameworks
The increase in the aging population will necessitate that communities take steps to support people as they age, and terms such as livability and age-friendly are used to describe how communities are meeting the needs of its residents. Are these ideas based on a similar perspective? A five-step scoping review process was used to identify components of conceptual frameworks for livability and age-friendliness and explore the extent to which similarities and differences exist within them. Twenty-one frameworks were reviewed and commonly included elements were: health, safety, housing, and social participation. Each framework included between two and thirteen components, but the number of aspects measured within each component varied widely, as did the system by which the components were weighted in the total score. The findings from this review provide future directions on how to create livable and age-friendly communities by identifying frameworks that can guide their development.
Barbra Teater is Professor of social work at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York, where she is director of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program. She previously spent eight years in social work education in the UK at the University of Bath and the University of Bristol. Barbra’s research interests include aging & ageism, social work education, and the application of social work theories and methods to practice. Barbra has published over 60 journal articles and book chapters, and authored or edited nine textbooks, including the bestselling text: An introduction to applying social work theories and methods. When Barbra’s not writing, you can find her running in Central Park or along the Hudson River in New York City.
Dr. Chonody is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Boise State University and Coordinator for the Master’s of Social Work Program. Her primary research interests include the study of attitudes toward older adults and how curriculum can address biases that promote social injustice against older people. She has presented her research both nationally and internationally and has over 70 published articles and book chapters. She has also written/co-written two books-- Community Art: Creative Approaches to Practice, an overview of different arts-based interventions that can be used by social workers, community organizers, and nurses, amongst others. The second book that is co-authored with Dr. Teater, Social Work Practice with Older Adults, presents a framework for practice that merges social work values and ethics with the World Health Organization’s Active Aging policy and stresses a strengths-based approach that promotes self-determination.