Assessing viewpoint (perspective) of Older Adult about the compliance of Tabriz City with Age Friendly Environment's: Explaining Barriers and Solutions

Abstract

Background and Aim: The world's elderly population is increasing. This increase is associated with the dependence of this group and the imposition of costs on the government system. Therefore, the independence of the elderly and their participation in society has been taken as a solution. Among the various variables, special attention has been paid to the physical and social space that the World Health Organization has formulated in the Elderly Friendly Cities Program. Therefore, the aim of this study is to adapt the city of Tabriz to the age-friendly standards of the World Health Organization program. Methods: This study is a descriptive-analytical research with a mix methode approach. First, the quantitative phase of the various dimensions of the city of Tabriz in terms of standards in the checklist of elderly friendly cities of the World Health Organization was examined and after determining the lowest level of satisfaction in the dimensions, in the qualitative phase, the causes and proposed solutions were examined. The sample size required for the study was estimated with PASS software, which was done by cluster sampling method to cover all ten areas of Tabriz. Frequency, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. MANOVA analysis and SIDAK post hoc test were also used to investigate the relationships between different dimensions. Results: The mean age of participants was 68.2, most of whom were male. About 33% were illiterate. The highest level of satisfaction was in terms of outdoor space and buildings and the lowest level was in terms of communication and information. In the qualitative phase of the study, the biggest problem was referring to the mismatch of information with the needs of the elderly. Discrimination was also introduced as one of the most important obstacles in this dimension. Conclusion: Uncoordinated and separate systems have always been a problem in societies. Especially in the study of age-friendly environments that in addition to the lack of coordination between service providers and the needs of the elderly, the lack of urban unit management is one of the major problems in this area. Legislation and requiring institutions to follow the rules in service design seems to work.

Keywords: Older Adults, Geriatric Health, Age Friendly City