A Commentary on Blue Zones®: A Critical Review of Age-Friendly Environments in the 21st Century and Beyond.

This paper explores the intersection of the World Health Organization's (WHO) concepts of age-friendly communities and The Blue Zones® checklists and how the potential of integrating the two frameworks for the development of a contemporary framework can address the current gaps in the literature as well as consider the inclusion of technology and environmental press. The commentary presented here sets out initial thoughts and explorations that have the potential to impact societies on a global scale and provides recommendations for a roadmap to consider new ways to think about the impact of health and wellbeing of older adults and their families. Additionally, this paper highlights both the strengths and the weaknesses of the aforementioned checklists and frameworks by examining the literature including the WHO age-friendly framework, the smart age-friendly ecosystem (SAfE) framework and the Blue Zones® checklists. We argue that gaps exist in the current literature and take a critical approach as a way to be inclusive of technology and the environments in which older adults live. This commentary contributes to the fields of gerontology, gerontechnology, anthropology, and geography, because we are proposing a roadmap which sets out the need for future work which requires multi- and interdisciplinary research to be conducted for the respective checklists to evolve.

OK Cupid, Stop Bumbling around and Match Me Tinder: Using Dating Apps Across the Life Course.

Social connectedness, sex, and intimacy are all factors associated with positive aging, facing individuals in society across the life course. Phenomenal technological developments in the 21st century have led to the increased use of smartphones, mobile apps, and dating apps for a myriad of services, and engagements. This paper focuses on two specific cohorts' who have the opportunity to engage with dating apps, older adults and young citizens with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and highlights issues related to the intersection of technology, societal constructions of age, disability, and online dating.

Kate's Journey: Introducing Students to the Human Side of Aging Services and Supports.

Although using novels to teach aging is not a new concept, teaching the human side of long-term services and supports from the perspective of the care recipient via novels has not been thoroughly explored. Literature often reflects societal norms and issues; thus, the use of a novel in the classroom allows for critical reflection and analysis of self and other, particularly when engaging students in aging concepts and experiences of growing old. This article describes the employment of Kate Quinton's Days (1984), a novel that brings into focus the important, and often forgotten, human side of aging services and supports. Additionally, the novel focuses on administrative and medical bureaucracy within the context of home health, and family dynamics that come into play with issues of aging and long-term care. Students may have had limited exposure to various aspects of aging and care that play out in the novel, and bringing the character Kate and her life story into the classroom allows for discussions that would not otherwise be as meaningful or instructive. The authors found that students related in important ways to Kate and went beyond the "system" to consider the lived experience of care and support as we age.