ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses how older people both define and create community in their later lives and the importance of community as people age. It explores how social workers within communities can better understand how community is defined by various stakeholders, including older adults themselves, in order to build a practice that facilitates social inclusion, civic participation, and belonging for older adults. The chapter discusses what it means to build communities inclusive of older adults from equity-seeking groups, their families, and networks and how social workers can encourage agency in order to build community and advocacy initiatives. It explains the meaning of “age-friendly communities” in urban and rural settings and community-based strategies such as lobbying, peer support, and advocacy. Advocacy to shift what counts as community and who belongs within it can serve to enhance or limit a sense of belonging in a given time or context.
