Book Review: The Global Age-Friendly Community Movement: A Critical Appraisal

Jeremy Cohen
2019 Anthropology & Aging  
The World Health Organization estimates, by the year 2050, 22 percent of the world's population will be over sixty years old. Low to middle income countries may face the toughest burden, with over 80 percent of the world's older populations residing within their borders by 2050. As part 5 of the Berghahn series Life course, Culture and Aging: Global Transformations, anthropologist Philip Stafford's The Global Age-Friendly Community Movement: A Critical Appraisal, provides a multidisciplinary
more » ... k at this contemporary aging phenomenon. With this volume, Stafford points to the importance of building the type of community that "addresses basic needs; optimizes physical and mental health and well-being; promotes social and civic engagement, and maximizes independence for the frail and people with disabilities" (7). Thematized into five sections, this volume's twelve chapters cover a broad range of topics, such as equity and sustainability, the building of age-friendly neighborhoods, cross-generational collaboration, aging in rural communities, and well-being in old age.
doi:10.5195/aa.2019.228 fatcat:avurk6pwqvbjxioseapvge6j4e