Project Summary
Trends in the United States indicate that the population is becoming older. Census data point to a doubling in the number of people ages 65 and older in Minnesota by about 2030. Recently, Northeast Minneapolis community stakeholders identified aging-in-place as an issue of importance to the health and well-being of the entire community. Aging-in-place connects social and medical issues, and involves people of all ages. This project will engage community stakeholders in a deliberative inquiry process to examine challenges faced by the elderly with multiple medical conditions, challenges family members confront as primary caregivers, and challenges we all face regarding end-of-life and advanced-care planning. Through public meetings, community members will be introduced to each topic and share their thoughts and opinions. The discussions have as their primary goal participant recognition of the range of ideas, attitudes, opinions, and values that exist within the group. The community will also be introduced to research and discuss how it might be used to address problems they feel are important. Through facilitated small-group discussions, stakeholders will also be asked to think about how they can organize themselves to identify and respect individual differences of opinion and still make decisions that best serve the larger community. By engaging community members directly in resolving challenges that confront partnerships, this project proposes Tier I–focused activities that are designed to develop a community-shaped partnership with the capacity to support patient-centered outcomes research about an important community health issue.