The population of older adults in the United States is expected to nearly double over the next 25 years. The Institute of Medicine has stated that there is a nationwide lack of preparedness to meet the health care needs of aging """"""""baby boomers"""""""". Transformative health sciences aging research is urgently needed to address this growing problem. We propose to develop a Wisconsin Community-Academic Aging Research Network (CAARN), which will augment the capacity and effectiveness of both the State of Wisconsin's aging services network and the University of Wisconsin (UW) to conduct clinical and dissemination research related to aging. This proposal will leverage existing academic networks, building on UW's considerable strengths in aging research and research infrastructure;will encompass all of Wisconsin's communities through the aging network;will address problems that are considered high priority for Wisconsin and the nation;and will utilize a Community Research Associate (CRA) who is well known across the aging network in Wisconsin. Further, it will provide a health psychology post-doctoral fellow who will help clinical researchers to design motivational strategies to increase likelihood of uptake by older adults. Lastly, it will be led by a PI who is ideally suited to conduct this proposal, as she has performed community-based research funded by CDC, NIA, AoA, and State of Wisconsin for over two decades. CAARN's infrastructure will provide community and academic stakeholders with 1) training and technical assistance, 2) networking capacity;3) access to research resources including pilot funding and consultation with the health psychology post-doctoral fellow;and 4) internet infrastructure. In Year 1, the CRA and PI will engage Wisconsin's aging network and academic researchers to determine interest in partnerships and potential research areas. CAARN will foster connections through annual meetings and quarterly statewide conference calls. The CRA will work with forming partnerships to facilitate communication and provide training, using existing training materials and new materials developed by CAARN. The CRA will continue to consult with newly formed partnerships to facilitate communication, provide access to resources, ascertain and overcome barriers, and link research teams with the health psychology fellow. This proposal will create a sustainable infrastructure that, from Year 1 to Year 3, will increase the number of community-academic partnerships engaged in aging research;increase the number of intramurally and extramurally funded proposals for community-based clinical and dissemination aging research;and improve the health of older adults in Wisconsin participating in research studies conducted in the community setting. CAARN's integration into UW's outstanding research infrastructure and into the aging network's centralized hub will ensure its success and sustainability beyond the grant period.
This proposal aims to develop a sustainable Community-Academic Aging Research Network that will facilitate partnerships between University of Wisconsin researchers and the State of Wisconsin aging network, in order to expand and accelerate transformation of aging research into practice in community settings.
| Gleason, Carey E; Dowling, N Maritza; Benton, Susan Flowers et al. (2016) Common Sense Model Factors Affecting African Americans' Willingness to Consult a Healthcare Provider Regarding Symptoms of Mild Cognitive Impairment. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 24:537-46 |
