Ageing in Place, Healthy Ageing: Local Community Involvement in the Prevention Approach to Eldercare

Abstract

The increase in ageing societies is posing new and urgent societal and political challenges to meeting people's medical, personal, and social needs in old age. Ageing should not be considered a uniform phase of life and at least three phases should be distinguished: (a) silver age, (b) the mildly frail age, and (c) those at risk of dependency. Policy tools and logics should prevent and support specific needs in a life‐course approach and the preventive approach is seen as among the most useful interventions, with a baseline objective to promote ageing in place, minimize the institutionalization of care, and prevent psychophysical deterioration by supporting older people and their families through tailor‐made approaches and policies. Our study focuses on the project Invecchiare bene/Bien vieillir (ageing well) funded by Interreg Alcotra France-Italy and implemented in the Valleys of Monviso in northern Italy. The project targets older people living at home in mountainous areas, where healthy ageing is difficult due to chronic diseases and social isolation. This article presents an analysis of preventive‐based interventions and services that promote innovative ageing policies and investigates the involvement of the local community and how it can lead to the deployment of new preventive measures. The research covers the direct impact on the health and living conditions of the recipients (older people) and innovation by the local care model (among social workers and the local community). Qualitative (documentary analysis, semi‐structured interviews, and focus groups) as well as quantitative (questionnaire and secondary data analysis) methods were used.