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

本研究探讨了阿拉斯加州内陆和东南部地区四个社区的土著老年人成功老龄化的概念。在以往成功研究的基础上，PI将采用以社区为基础的参与性方法来定义和记录老龄化对老年人的成功意义，并评估护理设施对老年人经历的影响。这项研究将促进老年学和社区卫生领域对老龄化的理解;提出促进当地社区成功老龄化的建议;并提出将老龄化等同于健康状况不佳和不动的看法的替代方案。PI将与费尔班克斯、加莱纳和朱诺的当地部落委员会合作，建立一个老年人咨询理事会，以监督项目的所有阶段。数据将使用调查工具和深入的定性访谈从内陆和阿拉斯加东南部的长老收集。PI将在研究过程的几个阶段提出研究结果并从社区获得反馈。更广泛的影响包括学生研究和培训的机会;阿拉斯加土著社区更多地参与制定研究议程;发展社区、护理设施和研究人员之间的伙伴关系;该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.