Page 85 - IJPS-8-2

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Identifying resources for promoting healthy

aging in community

1,2
1
Adam Reres and Su-I Hou *
1 College of Community Innovation and Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United
States
2 School of Global Health Management & Informatics, College of Community Innovation and
Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract
Community-dwelling older adults depend on resources for stability and safety as
they age. This study explores resources that mature over time to improve the quality
of aging in community (AIC) within communities that are not modeled for aging
populations. Recommendations for future research and community programs to
improve the ability of community members to age in community were made based
on the findings. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with open-
ended questions on 16 older adults who attend programs designed to increase
community interaction. According to data gathered, the three most important
resources were social, health, and financial. AIC requires multiple resources to sustain
basic needs and provide quality living. Early allocation of resources improves the
likelihood of successfully AIC.

Keywords: Aging in community; Gerontology; Retirement planning; Village model
*Corresponding author:
Su-I Hou (Su-I.Hou@ucf.edu)
Citation: Reres, A. & Hou, S.
(2022). Identifying resources
for promoting healthy aging in 1. Introduction
community. International Journal of Dependency on resources for stability and safety increases as humans age, especially for
Population Studies, 8(2):79-88.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v8i2.303 those who wish to age in typical community environments. Aging community models
Received: June 29, 2022 allow older adults to remain in one community by optimizing resources allocation and
distribution. Alternatively, typical community models are designed for members who
Accepted: November 30, 2022
gather and use their own resources. However, in this model, access to available resources
Published Online: December 29, may be insufficient to meet basic individual needs or keep up with community standards.
2022 Therefore, one may result in a deficient quality of living for that community. Utilizing
Copyright: © 2022 Author(s). village model organizations can offer support for aging in community (AIC). However,
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the knowing what is needed in preparation for this lifestyle can prevent insufficiencies
Creative Commons Attribution before entering the later stages of aging. This study explores resources that mature over
License, permitting distribution, time to improve the quality of AIC within communities that are not modeled for aging
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is populations. Recommendations for future research and community programs to improve
properly cited. the ability of community members to AIC can be suggested in this study finding.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with 1.1. Literature review
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional AIC is the preferred environment for older adults in the United States (Cutchin, 2003).
affiliations. Adults continue to live in their own communities and homes, and there is no requirement

Volume 8 Issue 2 (2022) 79 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v8i2.303