Establish and maintain local, regional and national networking among seniors' projects to learn what has been successful elsewhere and to support each other's efforts. Governments should support public awareness and education efforts that promote healthy aging and reduce health care costs. Inform the public about seniors' issues and portray seniors as contributors to society. We were working on determinants of health long before the government knew what to call it. Social support networks are limited by geographic and social isolation.
Education affects literacy, understanding of personal health and susceptibility to financial abuse.
Social environments affect well-being, e.g., societal attitudes toward aging, living alone, fewer nursing home beds, extended families spread across the country. Physical environments affect well-being, e.g., adapted housing that takes into account needs for privacy, space and social support. Gender affects the types of supports needed, e.g., women are more isolated than men, most informal caregivers are women. Cultural and language differences can lead to acute isolation for minority seniors. Intergenerational cultural differences can also be a factor, e.g., discomfort with new information technologies, fear of vandalism.