{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T16:15:21Z","timestamp":1776096921976,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,25]],"date-time":"2021-06-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1624579200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Geriatrics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>International and national guidelines have been promoting active aging while creating the necessary means for decision-makers and other relevant actors to work together (governance mechanisms) to implement local and active aging policies. This is especially important in the present COVID-19 pandemic context, posing greater challenges on older people who tend to be self-isolated. How are local actors conceptualizing active aging? What are their priorities related to a healthy life for older people? Which governance mechanisms are used to implement such policies? These are some of the questions addressed in this paper, targeting Portugal, a southern European country. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design combining a survey conducted at a national level and interviews with key actors in the NUTS III Aveiro Region was employed to identify and understand the underpinning governance mechanisms. Findings confirm the \u2018passive organization type\u2019 in which European politico-territorial studies tend to place Portugal, as there are gaps in the way policies are formulated, implemented and evaluated, as well as a lack of coordination. Results of this study have important impacts on the way local governments and other stakeholders will prepare themselves in the post-pandemic period to design and implement policies addressing active aging.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/geriatrics6030064","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,27]],"date-time":"2021-06-27T23:57:22Z","timestamp":1624838242000},"page":"64","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Active Aging Governance and Challenges at the Local Level"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1917-9835","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandre","family":"Fernandes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"GOVCOPP, Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Teresa","family":"Forte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GOVCOPP, Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4732-5959","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gon\u00e7alo","family":"Santinha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GOVCOPP, Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7212-8626","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Diogo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIPES, Research Center on Higher Education Studies, 4450-227 Matosinhos, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5993-528X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CITTA, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1007\/s12062-019-09248-4","article-title":"Living Longer within Ageing Societies","volume":"12","author":"Harper","year":"2019","journal-title":"Popul. 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