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Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison pp 81–98Cite as

It’s About the People…: Seniors’ Perspectives on Age-Friendly Communities

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Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging))

Abstract

The specter of an aging population and the attendant challenges that this will present for community planning has been a focus of popular and academic discourse for a number of decades. To support the City of Waterloo’s Advisory Committee on Age-Friendly Cities, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with older Waterloo residents to document their experiences of aging in Waterloo and conceptions of an age-friendly city. Participants clearly and predictably described the various sources of environmental press which they encounter in their homes and neighborhoods, which test their competence and capacity to age independently. Of greater interest, however, was the challenge of coping with various forms of “social press” including ageism. Participants disclosed problematic attitudes and behaviors of younger community residents that socially isolate, provoke anxiety, or result in physical stress or injury.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Planning, Faculty of Environment, Research Institute for Aging, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    John L. Lewis

  2. Healing Approaches to Elder Abuse and Mistreatment, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Arlene Groh

Authors
  1. John L. Lewis
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  2. Arlene Groh
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Correspondence to John L. Lewis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Université Catholique de Louvain, School of Public Health, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Thibauld Moulaert

  2. and Research Centre on Aging, School of Social Work and Research Centre on Aging, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada

    Suzanne Garon

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Lewis, J.L., Groh, A. (2016). It’s About the People…: Seniors’ Perspectives on Age-Friendly Communities. In: Moulaert, T., Garon, S. (eds) Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison. International Perspectives on Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24031-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24031-2_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-24029-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-24031-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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