Keywords:  Age-friendly policies, dementia, late-life depression, informal care, cross-border collaboration

"Age-friendly municipalities in a cross border context: lessons learned from the Senior Friendly Communities project"

This research investigates how municipalities can become more age-friendly, and how they can learn from each other across borders. It focuses on policies that support people with dementia, people with late-life depression, and informal caregivers. To this end, over thirty Belgian, Dutch and German municipalities and nine project partners from the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion took part in the Senior Friendly Communities project. Interviews were conducted with representatives of the municipalities before and after the project. During the project, a knowledge exchange and an exchange of existing interventions, including those from over the borders took place. Such interventions were offered in translated form if needed.

The research shows that the project has mainly increased awareness among the municipality officials, on the target groups but also on how the municipalities can support the target groups, and with which partner organizations they can collaborate to do so. This is the start of more inclusive policies.

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