Identifying opportunities for social interaction is key in addressing those at risk of social isolation. Drawing from focus groups with 55 women over the age of 60, this brief report outlines how this community-based fitness program (CBFP) acts as a conduit for social relationships, fosters a sense of belonging, and has social benefit for both active and passive participants. Study participants expressed feelings of kinship within the routine of scheduled classes and group culture. The need to further explore the social impact of CBFPs and other activities without a primary social focus play in ameliorating social isolation are discussed.
Over the course of two semesters, Aging Studies Program faculty affiliates at Eastern Michigan University generated interest and support in the pursuit of applying for the AFU designation. During this time, we learned that when the AFU principles were aligned with university strategic plans and goals of various academic units, we were overwhelmingly endorsed at all levels of the university. By using the AFU principles as foundation for our efforts, we approached stakeholders with a value-added perspective. This approach ensured that when we did receive endorsement, we also maintained the integrity of the AFU principles while also speaking to administrative and departmental concerns, such as enrollment, intergenerational programs, and community engagement. We will discuss strategies to build interest at all levels of the university when pursuing or building your AFU designation and provide ways to identify relevant stakeholders to build capacity while seeking endorsement for joining the AFU global network.
The Age-Friendly University global initiative has the opportunity to unite nations around the world towards making higher education spaces inclusive of older adults. Once a university joins the AFU Global Network and endorses the 10 guiding principles, the real work of living up to the principles begins. Each institution has unique geographical, political, social, and financial characteristics that require tailored approaches to this work. At our regional comprehensive university, we completed three separate analyses (external, internal, future directions) as part of our Environmental Scan. The goal of the Environmental Scan was to understand the initial strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to age-friendliness and inclusiveness for older learners within our campus community. We utilized a multi-pronged data collection approach, including individual stakeholder interviews, online surveys of older leaners, policy analysis, and internal and external audits. Many aspects of data collection for the environmental scan occurred concurrently with data analysis. Data from each of the eight data collection methods were used to generate key findings and recommendations and will be presented. Furthermore, we found that aligning our recommendations with the University’s marketing and enrollment efforts as well as the University’s goals relating to diversity, equity and inclusion allowed for greater administrative support for strategies to increase age-friendliness on campus. with implications for similar work at other institutions. The Age-Friendly University global initiative has the opportunity to better support the inclusion of older adults in higher education. Our Environmental Scan of age-friendliness, from inception to completion will apply to institutions across the globe.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.