A long tradition links social integration, the form of social support and involvement in multiple roles, with health and well-being. This knowledge base has clear implications for understanding and fostering effective pathways through the later years of life. The proposed Cornell Center for Research on Applied Gerontology will be organized around the theme of social integration as an essential avenue to improve the quality of life for other persons. The Center will draw on existing research findings, new data collected through survey research and intervention field studies, and a life course approach to understand and improve the social networks, social support, and social roles of individuals in late midlife and beyond, and to relate these forms of social integration to health and well-being outcomes. Center research projects will address significant practical issues related to the retirement transition and post-retirement productivity, isolation resulting from unsupportive neighborhoods or lack of formal services, and network deficits among family caregivers. The Center will be organized around the following objectives: 1. To foster productive collaboration on applied issues related to aging and social integration among a number of Cornell social scientists. 2. To link the researchers affiliated with the Center to practitioners and policymakers in order to insure that beneficial practical outcomes result from the Center's activities. 3. To conduct applied research to lay the groundwork for interventions related to social integration in later life. This research will provide valuable life history data on the patterning of social roles and social isolation, with special emphasis on gender, life course trajectories and transitions, and geographical context (rural versus urban). 4. To develop, implement, and evaluate interventions that promote social integration among older persons. 5. To disseminate knowledge about social integration to practice and provider groups, policymakers, and older individuals.
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