As the U.S. population grows older, supporting healthy aging becomes even more important. Improving healthcare for older adults will help more people maintain their abilities, independence, and quality of life.
Involving a particular group in research leads to more effective ways to support their health. Yet researchers often do not involve older adults. Many research teams lack the community partnerships, resources, and stakeholder engagement skills to benefit from the guidance of older adult advisors.
CARE is working with the Wisconsin Network for Research Support to form two Boards of Older Adult Advisors (BOAAs): one urban and one rural. Each BOAA will meet every other month with a researcher, who will bring specific questions to the group.
Our community partners in this work include the NewBridge senior services agency and Lussier Community Education Center in Madison, and the Iowa County Veterans Service Office and Aging and Disability Resource Center of Southwest Wisconsin in the rural, southwestern part of the state.
For more information, contact Diane at farsetta@wisc.edu.
