June 17, 2024
Developing Research Capacity for Healthy Aging with Villages
Villages are designed to help people age in their communities with greater social connection and better mental and physical health. Yet research on how villages promote healthy aging is in its early stages. How can we evaluate the impact of villages? What kind of data and partnerships do we need? How can research help recognize villages as a platform for health and well-being?
A new report, “Developing Research Capacity for Healthy Aging with Villages”
begins to address these questions. The report was created by Rutgers School of Social Work in partnership with Village to Village Network and RAND Corporation. Researchers present findings from a series of focus groups conducted with nearly 50 village members, officers, and professionals across the United States—including several Californian villages.
Some of the major themes that emerged were:
- A strong desire to reframe aging away from a focus on negative decline to a view that emphasizes healthy aging including being better prepared for changes associated with increasing age.
- Villages are perceived to support healthy aging in many ways, with social connectedness and preventive health services as dominant themes.
- Village members viewed healthy aging as highly dependent on the health care infrastructure, highlighting a need for villages to support connections between members and the health care system.
