DEVELOPING AGE-FRIENDLY CITIES AND COMMUNITIES: NEW DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH AND POLICY

Abstract

In most countries, the aging of migrants is an ongoing and growing phenomenon. The emergence of large numbers of aging migrants is subject to considerable diversity in characteristics such as the historical time of migration (recent or past migration), the age at migration of older persons (during early life, middle adulthood, or in later life), the conditions under which the migration trajectory developed, and the countries or places where they settle. Migration involves the distribution of people within and between countries and is one of the most important factors shaping spatial difference in demographic structures. In most countries, the mosaic of past types of migration as a result of colonial legacies, the recruitment of “temporary” workers, the steady growth of retirement migration, or undocumented migration, including those in precarious legal status or other difficult circumstances such as older refugees and asylum seekers (See “Aging Refugees”), is crucial to explain the various types of “aging migrants” across the world (See “Challenges of Aging: Comparison of Refugees and Immigrants”).