Despite municipal commitments and growing research, implementation of age-friendly plans remains limited, and older adults continue to face barriers to social engagement and mobility. This study explored decision-making experiences of municipal leaders and elected officials in a region of Ontario, Canada, related to age-friendly policy, budget, and infrastructure. Elected officials (n = 9) and municipal leaders (n = 7) completed a survey assessing their roles, level of involvement, and ratings of their municipality across 12 domains. Interviews explored their visions for age-friendly cities, engagement with older adults, and awareness of how built environments influence active aging. Thematic analysis was conducted. It was clear that decision makers lack meaningful interactions with a diverse group of older adults, and that they base their concept of aging on personal contacts. Decision makers value qualitative data and feel they humanize quantitative data. Despite shared values and goals, siloed governance structures were noted to hinder age-friendly efforts, whereas collaboration with community groups, nonprofits, and private funders was suggested as a means to support age-friendly initiatives. In conclusion, municipal decision makers showed a clear commitment, and often a personal connection, to being age-friendly; however, significant barriers related to bureaucracy, budgets, and evidence-based decision making exist.
Lustosa et al. (Sun,) studied this question.