age-friendly communities

This report analyzes media narratives about aging and proposes communication strategies that may be more productive at discussing age-friendly policies and programs. The six most common narratives provide either an idealistic account of aging, which tends to be apolitical and decontextualized, or a negative account of aging, which tends to refer to an impending demographic crisis. The authors advocate for more complete and contextualized discussions that avoid the “impending crisis” trope.

The research was developed by a collaborative of the following eight national aging organizations: AARP, the American Federation for Aging Research, the American Geriatrics Society, the American Society on Aging, Grantmakers in Aging, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Council on Aging and the National Hispanic Council on Aging. It was supported by grants from: AARP, The Atlantic Philanthropies, Rose Community Foundation, The Retirement Research Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, The Archstone Foundation and The Fan Fox/Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. The FrameWorks Institute conducted the research.