On July 5th, the book entitled “Ageing in Place: Envelhecimento em Casa e na Comunidade. Modelos e estratégias centrada na autonomia, participação social e promoção do bem-estar das pessoas idosas” was presented at the Calouste Gulbekian Fundation (Portugal, Lisbon), with the participation of Professor Oscar Ribeiro, member of the QASP team, as discussant. This book follows a previous one, published in 2018, that aimed at providing a national guide of good practices in Ageing in Place interventions.
According to the World Health Organization (2015), ageing in place is the ability of older adults to live in their own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or level of intrinsic capacity. This is a common expression in current thinking and practices on aging policies, which became even more emergent with the pandemic experience that we are facing (Pestine-Stevens & Greenfield, 2020).
Older adults themselves when asked “what is the ideal place to grow old?” tend to answer: “the one I already know!”, referring to the place where they live, i.e., their home, but also the community where that home is located (Fonseca, 2021). Indeed, in a study focused on how older people understand the meaning of “aging in place,” Wiles and colleagues (2012) found that “it was seen as an advantage in terms of a sense of attachment or connection, practical benefits of security and familiarity, and as being related to people’s sense of identity through independence and autonomy” (p. 364).
Ageing in place is a concept that goes beyond a particular house and includes the connection with a home full of memories and meanings, but also with a neighborhood and community full of connections and networks. Growing old at home promotes and facilitates social connections with family and friends and reinforces the sense of belonging that respects one’s sociocultural values and context.
Aging in place also means supporting older people to fulfill their desire and their ability to remain in their own home and where they are as they grow older (WHO, 2015). What calls to the need of policies and actions supporting this possibility, at individual, home, and community levels (Fonseca, 2021).
Based on a study that included the survey and analysis of real practices implemented in different parts of the country (Portugal) and abroad, the publication that was presented (Fonseca, 2021), includes models and strategies that aim to promote older adults´ autonomy, social participation, and well-being. The recommendations are divided in mains domains of aging in place´s promotion:
- Support for caregivers
- Combating insulation
- Gerotechnology
- Home support
- Day and social centers
- Social participation
- Lifelong Learning
- Housing and physical spaces
- Health, nutrition and physical activity
- Security
- Mobility
- Well-being and quality of life
These several domains reinforce the multidisciplinary and comprehensive nature of this area of intervention, which is anticipated to be complex but of utmost importance in present times.
References
Fonseca, A. (2021). Ageing in Place. Envelhecer em Casa e na Comunidade. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian e Faculdade de Educação e Psicologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa. https://gulbenkian.pt/publication/ageing-in-place-estudo/
Pestine-Stevens, A., & Greenfield, E. (2020). The Need for Community Practice to Support Aging in Place during COVID-19. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 63(6-7), 631-634, DOI: 10.1080/01634372.2020.1789258
Wiles, J., Leibing, A., Guberman, N., Reeve, J., & Allen, R. (2012). The Meaning of “Aging in Place” to Older People. Gerontologist, 52(3), 357–366. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnr098
World health organization – WHO (2015). Imagine tomorrow: Report on the 2nd WHO Global Forum on Innovation for Ageing Populations, 7‐9 October 2015, Kobe (Japan). https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/205288
By Lia Araujo and Oscar Ribeiro
CINTESIS
Center for Health Technology and Services Research