A study report by Becca R. Levy and Martin D. Slade of Yale University, “Aging Redefined: Cognitive and Physical Improvement with Positive Age Beliefs” is published in the March 4, 2026 edition of Geriatrics.

The Yale researchers looked at 12 years of data from a representative longitudinal study of individuals 65 years and older. Their report states, “the predominant narrative of aging as a time of inevitable and universal decline needs to be reconsidered”; and “improvement in later life is not rare, it’s common, and should be included in our understanding of the aging process”.

Health care professionals and older adults themselves are encouraged to move away from “widespread erroneous negativity about aging”. Study conclusions call for preventing erroneous thinking from posing a barrier to older adults accessing preventive and rehabilitation services, due to the assumption that they are unlikely to get better.

The above research results are highlighted in an April 27, 2026 segment of “The Current”, aired on CBC Radio; it begins at about 22:01 at this link. The segment states that the Yale research shows that “people with more positive beliefs about aging were more likely to thrive”. Dr. Louise Aronson, a San Francisco Geriatrician and healthy aging advocate notes that society’s tendency to focus on negatives about aging keeps us from seeing the positives; that decline in older age is not inevitable, and it is not the whole story.

This research can help to inform next steps for the volunteer-driven Age-Friendly Community (AFC) movement in Niagara. AFC action in Niagara has evolved since it began in 2009. The Age-Friendly Niagara Council (AFNC) is now legally incorporated, and has established its Founding Board. The AFNC is among twelve members of the Ontario Association of Councils on Aging (OACA).

Two of the Directors on the AFNC Board represent the Niagara Older Adult Alliance (NOAA). The NOAA includes more than 100 volunteers who serve on local municipal advisory committees across Niagara, to advocate for the interests of older people and AFC actions in their local communities. Together, these groups promote local action on the 8 Age-Friendly Domains of the World Health Organization (WHO). All of this work in Niagara aligns with what similar groups are doing, across Ontario and Canada.

The Community Potential team is proud to have supported the development of the AFC movement in Niagara since its inception. We look forward to seeing this group achieve even more impact going forward!