Ageing Better: Using the 'age-friendly' concept to drive system change in communities and places - Method note

Introduction

This note explains how the Ageing Better evaluation team researched age-friendly activities and approaches across Ageing Better partnerships. It outlines the research design, data collection methods and analysis used to understand how age-friendly work contributed to community-level system change for people aged 50 and over.

It is intended for researchers, funders, policymakers and practitioners who want to understand how the evidence in the accompanying evaluation report was gathered and analysed.

Findings

As a methods note, this document does not present evaluation findings. Instead, it explains how the Ageing Better evaluation team gathered and analysed evidence on age-friendly activities and community-level system change.

It outlines the research questions, qualitative data collection methods, analytical approach, and the limitations of the evidence base. It also explains how information from Ageing Better partnerships was assessed and interpreted, helping readers understand the findings presented in the accompanying evaluation report.

The note further describes research ethics, data protection procedures, and methodological considerations that should be taken into account when interpreting the evaluation's conclusions.