Age and Ability Inclusion Toolkit for Senior Living

The project used a Community Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) design to develop the Age and Ability Inclusion Toolkit for Senior Living. This means the project was:

• Community-based, meaning that it is grounded in the needs and concerns of community-based organizations who serve elders, i.e. senior living providers;
• Participatory, meaning that we will directly engage senior living providers and tap their knowledge and expertise in the research process and its outcomes; and
• Action-based, meaning that the project will generate strategic action that ultimately leads to transformation and social change within the senior living sector, through raising awareness of ageism and ableism and working to eradicate them.

The power of this research design lies in the fact that senior living provider knowledge in developing a prototype Age and Ability Inclusion Toolkit is irreplaceable and has a legitimacy that must not be undervalued in our efforts to disrupt ageism and ableism in senior living. If the proposed Age and Ability Inclusion Toolkit is to have any hope of efficacy, its content and format must be informed by expertise from within the senior living industry itself.

VCU Gerontology is an acknowledged leader in ageism research and education, with a national reputation in this field.

LeadingAge has made a mission-level organizational commitment to eradicating ageism within senior living and its LTSS Center has earned a national reputation for the quality of its applied research (including program evaluations and pragmatic trials) and ability to translate research findings into real-world training policies and evidence-based practices that improve the direct-care workforce experience and impact on outcomes, thus transforming the way that aging services are delivered.

Pioneer Network has evolved into a center for thought leaders and innovators in the field of aging with particular expertise in organizational culture change and person-centered care/person-directed living nationally and internationally.

The Eden Alternative brings 25 years of experience in educating and supporting aging services providers in the creation of cultures where everyone has the opportunity to grow, belong and experience meaningful purpose and well-being – regardless of age or ability.

The project partners wish to acknowledge and thank the RRF Foundation for Aging for its generous funding support for the development of the Age and Ability Inclusive Toolkit for Senior Living.

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