The growth in communities signing up to be Age Friendly is to be celebrated. It reflects a shift in the way we think and talk about older people. But is being age-friendly sufficient? Or is it time to push our actions just a little further?

In pursuing an age-friendly agenda, should we just focus on older people, ensuring their participation is maximised and they are valued and respected within society? In fact, what do we mean by being “friendly”? Is it an idea that resonates across all generations, or is it reserved just for older people?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “friendly” as “behaving in a kind and pleasant way because you like somebody or want to help them”.While never the intention of those who coined the phrase “age-friendly”, revisiting the dictionary definition of being friendly raises a few questions. As one woman in her thirties recently reflected to me, “It almost sounds a little paternalistic. Why are we not talking about inclusion?”

The person who first ignited my interest in the field of age and work was Marc Freedman, founder of the Encore Movement. In his recent book How to Live Forever – The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations, he argues for intergenerational inclusion: “Uniting the generations is the key to societal survival in our more-old-than-young world. It’s what young people want and need. And it’s the surest route to happiness and well-being in later life.”

Yes, pursue the goal of creating age-friendly communities that value people as they age. But why not also aspire to be age-inclusive across all life stages and generations?