The role of smart cities in order to improve older people’s quality of life, sustainability and opportunities, accessibility, mobility, and connectivity is increasing and acknowledged in public policy and private sector strategies in countries all over the world. Smart cities are one of the technological-driven initiatives that may help create an age-friendly city. Few research studies have analysed emerging countries in terms of their national strategies on smart or age-friendly cities. In this study, Romania which is predicted to become one of the most ageing countries in the European Union is used as a case study. Through document analysis, current initiatives at the local, regional, and national level addressing the issue of smart and age-friendly cities in Romania are investigated. In addition, a case study is presented to indicate possible ways of the smart cities initiatives to target and involve older adults. The role of different stakeholders is analysed in terms of whether initiatives are fragmentary or sustainable over time, and the importance of some key factors, such as private–public partnerships and transnational bodies. The results are discussed revealing the particularities of the smart cities initiatives in Romania in the time frame 2012–2020, which to date, have limited connection to the age-friendly cities agenda. Based on the findings, a set of recommendations are formulated to move the agenda forward. CC-BY Original article: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145202 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers "Age-Friendly Cities & Communities: State of the Art and Future Perspectives") https://www.dehaagsehogeschool.nl/onderzoek/lectoraten/details/urban-ageing#over-het-lectoraat
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Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic created the need to use digital health resources (DR), as they sometimes were the only option to receive healthcare or social interaction. The aim of this research is to provide insight into the experiences during the lockdown of older people using DR for health in general and the points of improvement they see. A qualitative study was carried out using semistructured interviews with older persons by telephone. A total of 10 older adults participated, with a median age of 78 years, the majority having a chronic disease. The most important themes for motivation to use health-related DR were ‘urgency’ and ‘usefulness’. Experiences with DR were related to the themes ‘human contact’ and ‘communication’, which were experienced by respondents as facilitated by DR, and ‘time and energy’, which was two-sided. Additionally, most older persons worried about accessibility of DR by all older persons and the support needed. In conclusion, older persons are convinced of the urgency and the usefulness of digital technology for health and healthcare. Time and energy constraints can be alleviated by using DR on the one hand, but this can also be challenging if older persons are less digitally skilled or lack digital literacy. Good and sustained human support is therefore mandatory
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