Community Development with Older Adults in Their Neighborhoods: The Elder Friendly Communities Program

In this article, the authors report on lessons drawn from more than 3 years of experience with seniors-led community development at the neighborhood level, the Elder Friendly Communities Program (EFCP). Although community practice has a long history in social work, it has been largely neglected with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Families in society 2005-07, Vol.86 (3), p.401-409
Main Authors: Austin, Carol D., Camp, Elizabeth Des, Flux, David, McClelland, Robert W., Sieppert, Jackie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community Development
Community Services
Community support
Community work
Delivery Systems
Elderly
Elderly people
Geriatric social work
Handicapped
Neighborhoods
Neighbourhoods
Older people
Retirement Communities
Social work
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Summary:In this article, the authors report on lessons drawn from more than 3 years of experience with seniors-led community development at the neighborhood level, the Elder Friendly Communities Program (EFCP). Although community practice has a long history in social work, it has been largely neglected with older adults. Based on analysis of qualitative data, the authors discuss key themes that inform community development practice with seniors including (a) challenging the dominant paradigm of community-based service delivery, (b) efficiency and sustainability, (c) expectations and perceptions of expertise, (d) involvement and leadership, and (e) multicultural practice. With a growing and increasingly healthy elder population, it is time to expand the scope of gerontological social work practice beyond a focus on disability and dependency.
ISSN:1044-3894
1945-1350
DOI:10.1606/1044-3894.3438