To a and to monitor accelerate progress and accountability of the global Age-Friendly Cities initiative, we need to consolidate the best thinking into a single tool that is simple to use and that applies a consistent set of indicators and a standardized ‘scoring’ system.
We believe that the starting point for an Age-Friendly City is physiological ageing. This compels us to ensure that the unique physical needs of older people are accomodated in a way that’s natural and beneficial for all ages.
Checklists are the most common, yet very rudimentary way to evaluate whether a city, brand, or any environment is Age-Friendly. However, subjective evaluations have major limitations.
This was our starting point to create the Age-Friendly Audit Tool - a tool that can be used to evaluate all the situations where older people live, work, seek medical care and spend their money.
We’ve achieved this by codifying 25 ways that ageing impairs the senses, body and mind.
These 25 physiological effects of ageing were determined as a result of the extensive research that resulted in our book ‘Marketing to the Ageing Consumer’ (Palgrave Macmillan 2013). Our models and research apply equally to the workplace and designing Age-Friendly cities.
The AF Tool has been created for planners, administrators, designers, and customer experience professionals to predict, measure and monitor issues that may present barriers for older people.