The World Health Organization (WHO) established a policy framework in 2002 in order to promote healthy and active aging for adapting to the changes brought about by demographic aging and urbanization worldwide. WHO launched the age-friendly cities project in 2005 as a continuation of the active aging policy. Age-friendly cities are those that provide access to every conduit of the aging society and transform their existing structures and services in order to meet their needs. The Hague Municipality became the first city in the Netherlands to become a member of WHO’s age-friendly cities network. The Hague Municipality aims to be a city where senior citizens continue their lives happily, actively, and with dignity and put the Actieprogramma Haags Ouderenbeleid [Action Plan for the Hague’s Senior Citizen Policy] into practice for this purpose. The aim of the action plan is to preserve senior citizens’ independence, strengthen their personal identity, and increase their self-confidence. Projects are also being developed within the framework of the action plan for individuals with dementia. The current study evaluates the Haags Ontmoeten [The Hague Meeting] as an exemplary project. The Hague Meeting project was developed for senior citizens and their informal caregivers by Stichting Xtra in 2017 with funding from the Hague Municipality. Many different institutions that senior citizens frequent visit, participated in the project. Senior citizens are able to participate in a variety of activities in their own neighborhoods by meeting at the project partner institutions. Professionals and volunteers provide senior citizens and their caregivers with information, assistance, and support at various time using different methods. This project makes all the services senior citizens and their caregivers need easily accessible. Program coordinators have an important role in developing a social infrastructure focused on senior citizens. The project’s primary target audience are vulnerable senior citizens (i.e., the frail elderly). Frailty in senior citizens involves a process where deficiencies regarding physical, psychological, and social functions accumulate, and this increases the likelihood of adverse health consequences such as functional limitations. 19,800 vulnerable senior citizens were covered by the first phase (2017-2019) of the project in the area served by the Hague Municipality. The number of registered volunteer caregivers in the Hague for the elderly is 8,064. The exact number of voluntary caregivers with a migrant background is unclear. The main reason for this situation is that they do not describe themselves as caregivers. According to 2017 data, 1,558 senior citizens and 246 caregivers received services within the scope of the project. This number was targeted to double by the end of 2019. Another condition for the use of the funds allocated for the project is the development of a quality standard for the services provided within the scope of the project. All institutions involved in the project had to achieve these standards of quality within the specified time.

According to 2017 data, 1,558 elderly individuals and 246 caregivers people received services within the scope of the Hague Meeting project. According to the fund’s terms of use, this number was targeted to double by the end of 2019. In 2019, 2,903 senior citizens and 604 informal caregivers received services, and the goal was reached. No official data exists regarding how many of the people receiving services within the scope of the project have a migrant background. Observations regarding the applications are that older people with a migrant background do participate in these activities, but some groups such as Turks and Moroccans are underrepresented. Although these groups need these services, Turks and Moroccans do not sufficiently benefit from the provided services. When addressing the caregiver dimension of the issue, caregivers with non-Western immigrant backgrounds are also seen to not make enough use of the provided services. This is mainly because they do not see themselves as caregivers and are not familiar with the term mantelzorg [informal care].

During the project’s implementation, internal employees came together at the meetings that were held every three months. Different meetings were held for each region, and the employees shared the developments that were important for the project. Despite reducing the number of project coordinators having been previously requested, the number of project coordinators has not yet changed. Three program coordinators continued to serve in 2021, and the number of venues included in the Hague Meeting project also increased to 50 in 2021. More venues for people with a migrant background have been added to the project, so more people with a migrant background are being served. The share of the people who play a key role in spreading this service is important.

The Hague Meeting policy was evaluated in 2019, and positive results were seen to have been obtained; however, qualitative improvements were required on some issues. Among these issues are adapting spaces and developing stricter standards of quality so that social citizens with loss of control can benefit from them more frequently. Due to the target being reached, the Hague Meeting has been included among the basic structural services of the Hague Municipality since 2020.

The project generally obtained positive results, but the same results could not be obtained for Turkish or Moroccan senior citizens. This study recommends that the project coordinators invest in key people so that the Hague Meeting project reaches the immigrant senior citizens.