Investigating Alaska Native Successful Aging through Elder-Centered, Community-Based Participatory Research

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This research explores the concept of successful aging among Alaska Native Elders in four communities in the Interior and Southeast regions of the state. Building upon previous successful research, the PI will employ a community-based participatory approach to define and document what aging successfully means to Elders and to evaluate the impacts of care facilities on Elders’ experiences. This research will advance understanding of aging in the fields of gerontology and community health; produce recommendations to promote successful aging in local communities; and present alternatives to perceptions that equate aging with poor health and immobility.Working collaboratively with local tribal councils in Fairbanks, Galena, and Juneau, the PI will establish an Elder Advisory Council to oversee all phases of the project. Data will be collected using survey instruments and in-depth qualitative interviews with Elders from the Interior and Southeast Alaska. The PI will present findings and receive feedback from communities at several stages in the research process. Broader impacts include opportunities for student research and training; increased participation of Alaska Native communities in setting research agendas; development of partnerships among communities, care facilities, and researchers; and advancing understanding of successful aging in different cultural and geographic contexts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.