Age-friendly Communities
An Age-friendly Community is a place that enables people to age well and live a good later life. Somewhere that people can stay living in their homes, participate in the activities they value, and contribute to their communities, for as long as possible.
The UK Network of Age-friendly Communities is a growing movement, with over 75 places across the country committed to making their community a better place to age in. Over 26 million people are living in an Age-friendly Community, including places like Greater Manchester and Cardiff. The Centre for Ageing Better works with the Network to provide guidance, connect places and offer support to member communities as they work towards making their services and infrastructure more age-friendly.
View our map of Age-friendly Communities here.
The UK Network is part of a global movement led by the World Health Organisation, affiliated to the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities.
The Age-friendly Communities approach
The Age-friendly Communities approach was developed by the World Health Organisation in 2007, in consultation with older people around the world. It is built on the evidence of what supports healthy and active ageing in a place and supports older residents to shape the place that they live.
By following this approach, local groups, leaders, councils, businesses and older residents will all work together to identify and make changes in both the physical and social environments. This includes improving transport, outdoor spaces, volunteering and employment, leisure and community services.
To make these improvements, Age-friendly Communities follow the World Health Organisation framework of the Eight Domains and Four-Step Programme Cycle.
