We are living in a unique time in the history of the world. Three trends will have profound implications for how we live. The trends are: 1) the aging of the world's population;2) the aging of the aged;and 3) the concentration of the worlds'older people in urban areas. Specifically, in the United States (US), the number of people aged 65 and older will more than double from 2000 to 2030. All over the world, people prefer to """"""""age in place,"""""""" remain in their homes and neighborhoods as long as possible. The challenge for our time is to create and maintain environments which support people to age in place, as their health changes and their physical capacity declines. There is growing attention on neighborhood and place influences on health. Increasingly, the idea that neighborhoods affect health is accepted among researchers and policymakers. The proposed two-day workshop will bring together experts in the field including behavioral scientists, health researchers, urban planners, geographers, and architects to address these gaps and to stimulate new research. This gathering will have three goals: (1) to bring together researchers in neighborhood influences on health in older adults, (2) to learn about current research and encourage research development in priority areas, and (3) to identify policy implications relevant to creating and maintaining age-friendly communities. The meeting will include both US and international perspectives. By bringing together experts and providing a forum for discussion, we have an opportunity to shape a research agenda to influence place-based policy strategies to improve health of older adults.
The goal of this workshop is to bring together researchers in neighborhood influences on health in older adults to influence place-based policy strategies to improve health.
