LESSONS LEARNED ON AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES IN SUKHOTHAI PROVINCE

Abstract

This research article aimed to extract lessons learned from age-friendly communities in Sukhothai Province through a qualitative study. The key informants included stakeholders from three networks implementing age-friendly community initiatives in Sukhothai Province, with 5 participants per group, totaling 15 participants. The participants were selected using maximum variation sampling. The research instruments consisted of focus group discussion guidelines, an audio recorder, a camera or smartphone, and a field notebook. Data were collected through focus group discussions, analyzed using content analysis, and validated through triangulation. The findings revealed that the lessons learned from age-friendly communities in Sukhothai Province comprise 2 main aspects: 1) The model of age-friendly communities consists of 11 key components, including outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, community support and health services, psychological support, integrated multi-sector collaboration, and innovations for elderly care; and 2) The key success factors include support from government agencies and local administrative organizations, active participation from the community and volunteer networks, resource cost management for sustainability, leadership that prioritizes development, continuous improvement, the development of innovations tailored to the elderly, and strong partnerships for sustainable development. Therefore, relevant agencies should adopt this model and these success factors to develop age-friendly communities that address the needs of the elderly in alignment with each area's specific context.