EMPOWERING OLDER ADULTS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

• Published in: Innovation in Aging
• Main Author: Glicksman, A
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2018
• Subjects: Abstracts; First Nations
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6227036/; https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy023.1372

Empowering older adults so that they can make their own decisions regarding where and how they live is a frequently stated goal that can be difficult to achieve. Programs designed to serve older adults are often limited by regulations, resources, and tension between the desires of an older adult and what seems safest and healthiest in the eyes of the professional. Further, true empowerment requires access to reliable information that can be used by the elder to make informed choices as well as connecting with peers who are facing the same challenges. This session presents five papers describing various models aimed at empowering older adults to make their own, informed decisions. Heyn presents a model of empowerment designed to increase the healthy lifespan of older adults by providing tools for better health care decision making and creating more opportunities for managing ones’ own health. Freeman is working with a First Nations community in British Columbia and will discuss a program that reduces social isolation by providing elders a leadership role in the community. Thiamwong’s research examines the use of empowerment as part of a falls prevention program in Thailand. Graham will discuss research on the Village Model—grassroots, consumer-driven, neighborhood groups where older adults are empowered to assist each other to age in place. Finally, Ring, Glicksman and Graham will present findings from a research study conducted in Philadelphia that examined eight different approaches to building neighborhood based programs that integrate service access, socialization, and empowerment of older adults.