AGE-FRIENDLY CITIES AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAM: SUCCESS STORIES IN PARANÁ/BRAZIL

Abstract

This article aims at investigating the challenges of population aging both globally and in Brazil, focusing on public policies implemented in the state of Paraná in the southern region of the country. Since 2017, Paraná has been developing initiatives aimed at the elderly population. The Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), Pato Branco campus, has been leading research and outreach projects related to aging, emphasizing the creation of cities and communities that are welcoming to the elderly. The UTFPR Friendly Team for the Elderly collaborates with the State Secretariat for Women, Racial Equality, and the Elderly in executing the Paraná Friend of the Elderly Program, as well as working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to integrate municipalities into the Global Network of “Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.” The team has developed a comprehensive methodology that includes sociodemographic diagnosis, listening to the elderly population, and creating a municipal action plan, promoting the technical and scientific training of local managers so that their municipalities can obtain international certification from the WHO. Currently, there are 1.685 cities/communities registered in the Global Network, with the highest concentration in the Americas, and the United States, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Brazil are the leaders. In Brazil, 50 cities are certified as age-friendly, of which 38 are in Paraná, with the support of the UTFPR team. This article aims at outlining the trajectory and advances of Brazilian cities within the WHO Global Network.

Affiliated Institutions

• Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná BR

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