Service-Learning through conference-based, interdisciplinary workshops on Age-Friendly design.

For three consecutive years, the Age-Friendly Design Committee (AFDC) of the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) used AGHE's annual meeting as a platform to conduct community-based service-learning workshops focusing on age-friendly design. These workshops assembled local stakeholders, conference attendees from multiple disciplines, and landscape and architectural designers to discuss age-friendly design issues and solutions for local environments. Each workshop provided hands-on design experience and the opportunity for AGHE participants to contribute to conference host communities by using their gerontological expertise to translate knowledge into practice. Local stakeholders learned the value of gerontological input when considering design issues. We describe the process of incorporating service-learning into the conference experience through age-friendly design workshops and how these bring together students, faculty, and design professionals from different backgrounds and disciplines to address local age-friendly design issues.

Addressing the needs of Nicaraguan older adults living on the edge: A university-community partnership in international service-learning.

Nicaragua is a very low-income country entering a period of rapid aging with limited geriatric training for health care professionals. To help build capacity and to enhance student learning, a short-term international service-learning program was implemented in 2004 in partnership with the Jessie F. Richardson Foundation and Nicaraguan community stakeholders. Graduate and undergraduate students at Portland State University complete coursework for one term in the United States then travel to Nicaragua for about two weeks to participate in educational, research, and service activities, primarily in group homes for older Nicaraguans. Students learn about global aging, gerontology, community development, service learning, and Nicaraguan history and culture, then apply their gerontology-related knowledge by training direct care staff, older adults and their family members, and students. The authors describe the impetus for and evolution of the program, students' evaluation of the program, faculty observations on program benefits and challenges, lessons learned, and future plans.

Age-Friendly Portland: a university-city-community partnership.

This article addresses the question of how creating an age-friendly city has come to be an important policy and planning issue in Portland, Oregon. In 2006, researchers from Portland State University's Institute on Aging examined the meanings of age friendliness among a broad range of participants in Portland, Oregon. The research was conducted in conjunction with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities project and followed the completion of two earlier non-WHO-related projects. The city of Portland, through the Institute on Aging, was one of nine original members to apply for and be accepted into the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. An Age-Friendly Portland Advisory Council was formed to guide the development of an action plan, monitor progress over time, and suggest additional research. To understand how Portland's age-friendly policy effort has developed over time, we use Kingdon's (1984) agenda-setting framework to explain how the policy problem was formulated, how solutions were developed, and the influence of local politics. The policy actors, including individuals and organizations working within and outside of government, are described. The Portland experience provides a case study that other cities, especially those with a strong commitment to community-engaged urban planning, may find useful as they develop age-friendly initiatives.