Developing an Age-Friendly University (AFU) audit: A pilot study

The University of Massachusetts Boston endorsed the Age Friendly University (AFU) principles in 2017, becoming the second campus in the Commonwealth to join the AFU movement. In order to demonstrate what it means to become an AFU, a research team worked to audit the University's level of age-friendliness. A workgroup of 12 volunteers from across campus departments and constituencies was convened in 2018 to operationalize the 10 principles with the goal of designing an audit tool and then piloting the tool. Nineteen key informants were interviewed representing a wide range of campus life including administration, career counseling, advising, communications, student life, campus services, distance education, and health and wellness services. Major themes emerged related to educational programming, accessibility and inclusivity. The importance of conducting an audit was demonstrated in the opportunities it presented to increase awareness among diverse stakeholders who comprise a campus community about making the vision of age-friendliness a reality.