“I’m Part of Something That Matters”: Exploring What Older Adults Value Through Their Engagement in Age-Friendly Community Initiatives

Figures & data

Table 1. Age-friendly community initiative and community descriptives.

						N or Mean (Range)
						NJ	ME	KY	PA	TOTAL
Age-Friendly Initiative Descriptives (N = 15)
No. AFCIs						5	7	2	1	15
Total No. of Participants/State						9	8	3	3	23
Avg. No. Participants/AFCI						1.8 (1–3)	1.1 (1–2)	1.5 (1–2)	3.0	1.9
Average Year Joined AARP Network						2018 (2018–2019)	2017 (2015–2018)	2015 (2014–2016)	2015	2016
Lead Organization
Coalition						4	3	1	0	8
Local Non-Profit						1	1	1	1	4
Area Agency on Aging						0	2	0	0	2
Gov. Agency						0	1	0	0	1
Community-Level Descriptives* (N = 15) †
Average Total Population Size						44,738	10,841	475,194	300,431	103,360
Population 65+**						13%	21%	15%	15%	15%
White Alone, Not Hispanic or Latino**						29%	93%	66%	64%	62%
Median Household Income (Dollars)**						$89,782	$69,177	$59,430	$54,306	$63,293
Population with bachelor’s Degree or Higher**						33%	38%	36%	46%	38%
Avg. Livability Score**						62	52	52	59	59

*Community-level descriptives collected from US Census Data Quick Facts, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts.

*Weighted average, except for PA.

Each AFC initiative represented one municipality, with the exception of one that represented two neighboring municipalities. We computed the weighted average for this initiative’s community information.

Table 2. Study participant descriptives.

			N (Range)
No. Participants			23
Average Number of Years Participated			5.09 (2–7)
Average Age			75.60 (64–92)
Gender
Female			18
Male			5
Race/Ethnicity
White			19
Black			2
Other			1
Decline			1
Household Income Range
$25,000–$75,000			5
$75,000–$125,000			8
> $125,000			6
Decline			4
Highest Education Level
Some College and College Degree			8
Graduate Degree			15
Living Arrangement
Living with Partner			18
Living Alone			5
Participant Identified Title
Volunteer			2
Advisory Committee Member			9
Advisory Committee Leader			1
Committee leader			4
Initiative Leader			7

Table 3. Illustration of coding cycles.

First cycle coding	Second cycle coding
Round 1	Round 2	Round 3
Benefits	Motivations & Benefits	Value of Engagement
Learning opportunities Staying active Substitutability of contribution Reusing skills to contribute to the community or initiative Social Network Feeling valued (or recognized, appreciated, needed) Making a difference through AFCI Uniqueness of contribution	Individualized Benefits Learning opportunities: Personal and professional growth Opportunities for staying active Generalized interest in community engagement [previous: substitutability] Self-in-Community Benefits Opportunities for reusing skills, knowledge, and experiences to contribute to the community or initiative Strengthening social networks & fostering a sense of community Feeling valued, needed, important, or heard Externalized Benefits Making a difference through AFCI	Opportunity for Social Contribution Demonstrating and reinforcing altruism to the general community and people across the lifespan through AFC. Expressing one’s commitment and passion to advance the visibility, health, and well-being of older adults across the lifespan. Feeling confident, respected, valued, and fulfilled by using or reusing skills, knowledge, experiences, and talent to improve the community. Social Connectedness and Community Integration Establishing and maintaining meaningful interpersonal relationships Integrating into the community Staying Active and Personal Growth Enjoying staying active and engaged Growing, expanding, and maturing personally

Figure 1. Visualization of themes.

WHO. (2018). The global Network for age-friendly cities and communities: Looking back over the last decade, looking forward to the next. World Health Organization pp. 1–35.

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