University-Community Partnerships to Develop a Mutually Beneficial Tool to Measure Age-Friendly Collaboration

Abstract

Age-friendly community initiatives (AFCIs) are frequently described as community collaborations; the AARP program model encourages diverse stakeholder engagement to achieve its aims of improving the social and built environments for long lives. However, little is known empirically about how AFCIs function as collaborations and how these relationships and activities lead to community changes. This paper presents how we developed a social network analysis tool to measure collaboration in AFCIs, which emerged from multi-year, university-community partnerships on AFCIs in western New York and northern New Jersey. Iterative processes, including inductive analysis of qualitative interviews and facilitated meetings with local AFCI work-groups, provided opportunities to create survey items on collaboration with meaning specific to AFCIs. We describe this tool’s application as part of a survey of AFCI stakeholders, demonstrating how findings contribute both to advancing knowledge on AFCIs in general and directly informing the efforts of AFCI actors on the ground.

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SESSION 6155 (SYMPOSIUM)
LEARNING WHILE DOING: COMMUNITY-ENGAGED
ACTION RESEARCH WITH AGE-FRIENDLY
COMMUNITY LEADERS
Chair: AltheaPestine-Stevens
Co-Chair: EmilyGreeneld
Discussant: StephanieFirestone
Age-Friendly Community Initiatives (AFCIs) are ex-
panding throughout the United States to make social and
built environments within local communities more respon-
sive to population aging. With over 450 initiatives afliated
with the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities,
Cities, and States (125 of which began in 2019-early 2020),
rapid growth on the ground necessitates that theory and re-
search develop alongside practice innovations. This sympo-
sium showcases the intersection of cutting-edge scholarship
with community-based efforts to generate knowledge of
community change processes that is immediately actionable
by community leaders. Collectively, these papers emphasize
the benets of action research and developmental evaluation
in community gerontology towards building the theories of
age-friendly change that will set the stage for outcomes re-
search. The rst paper will present on work with 83 AFCIs
in rural Maine involving interviews with organizational
leaders to inform which types of supports could stimulate
age-friendly changes to communities’ built and social envir-
onments. The second paper will share a mixed-methods ap-
proach used to develop a global toolkit for dementia-friendly
communities. The third presenter will describe the collabora-
tive development and utilization of social network analysis
to help age-friendly leaders plan their work, while simultan-
eously advancing research on variation in AFCI implemen-
tation. The nal paper will present an evaluative framework
that identies roles and outcome measures for collective
impact at the intersection of public health and age-friendly
communities.
UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO
DEVELOP A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TOOL TO
MEASURE AGE-FRIENDLY COLLABORATION
AltheaPestine-Stevens,1 and EmilyGreeneld,2 1. Rutgers–
New Brunswick, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United
States, 2. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Age-friendly community initiatives (AFCIs) are frequently
described as community collaborations; the AARP program
model encourages diverse stakeholder engagement to achieve
its aims of improving the social and built environments for
long lives. However, little is known empirically about how
AFCIs function as collaborations and how these relationships
and activities lead to community changes. This paper presents
how we developed a social network analysis tool to measure
collaboration in AFCIs, which emerged from multi-year,
university-community partnerships on AFCIs in western New
York and northern New Jersey. Iterative processes, including
inductive analysis of qualitative interviews and facilitated
meetings with local AFCI work-groups, provided opportun-
ities to create survey items on collaboration with meaning spe-
cic to AFCIs. We describe this tool’s application as part of a
survey of AFCI stakeholders, demonstrating how ndings con-
tribute both to advancing knowledge on AFCIs in general and
directly informing the efforts of AFCI actors on the ground.
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE RURAL AGE-FRIENDLY
COMMUNITIES: GRASSROOTS PERSPECTIVES
PatriciaOh, AARP, Bowdoinham, Maine, United States
Joining the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and
Communities does not make a community age-friendly; the
age-friendly team must cultivate community engagement,
develop collaborations with diverse stakeholders, mobilize
resources, and document achievements. Little research de-
scribes the tools age-friendly rural communities use to ef-
fect change and develop sustainability. Thematic content
analysis of 67 interviews conducted between December 09,
2018 and January 24, 2020 with age-friendly leaders in rural
Maine communities suggested that peer-to-peer networking,
privileging local knowledge, engaging local and regional
partners, technical advice from a trusted source, and fun
were among the tools used to move age-friendly rural work
forward.
THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A WHO DEMENTIA-
FRIENDLY COMMUNITY GLOBAL TOOLKIT: INPUT
FROM MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS
FeiSun,1 katrinSeeher,2 StéfanieFréel,2 and TarunDua,2
1. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan,
United States, 2. WHO, Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland
This study examined the process that the Department of
Mental Health and Substance Abuse of WHO used to de-
velop a global toolkit for dementia friendly initiatives (DFI).
Data were collected through a mix-method approach con-
sisting of individual interviews of 20 DFI leaders, four focus
group interviews of persons living with dementia (PWD),
three group interviews of professionals, and an online survey
of 129 participants from 46 countries. Data from multiple
sources were examined. The meaning of DFIs centered on
the needs of PWD, multi-sector collaboration, and physical
and social environmental changes. Over 70% participants in
the survey reported their DFIs targeted PWD and included
PWD as important partners. The EASTT model can be used
to summarize DFI strategies including Education, Advocacy,
Support, Training and Transforming environment. Countries
advanced in DFI tended to focus on enhancing professional
capacity and environmental adaptation, while countries
launching DFI appeared to prioritize dementia awareness
campaigns.
EVALUATING COLLECTIVE IMPACT FOR HEALTHY
AGING AT THE INTERSECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
AND AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES
KathyBlack,1 and KathrynHyer,2 1. University of South
Florida, Sarasota-Manatee, Sarasota, Florida, United States,
2. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida,
United States
There is mounting interest in promoting - and evaluating
efforts that improve healthy aging in age-friendly communi-
ties. Additionally, there is increasing recognition that multi-
sectoral engagement beyond the aging network is needed
to maximize impact and sustainability. Within the context
GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting
698 Innovation in Aging, 2020, Vol. 4, No. S1
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