Partnering Across Sectors to Strengthen Community-Based Social Innovations for Aging

October 27th 2022 at 2-3pm ET 

Watch on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKgYVBpFr_c

Community-based social innovations (CBSI) for aging are programs, initiatives, and other structures that support healthy aging and aging in community in ways that complement traditional health and human service systems. Although program models for CBSIs in North America have proliferated over the past 30 decades, there remain longstanding concerns about the sustainability, reach, and equitable impact of these innovative approaches. This presentation will provide an overview of how community gerontology can serve as a foundational framework to bolster gerontologists’ participation in multisectoral partnerships concerning CBSIs. The presentation will provide examples of ways in which research, teaching, and service capacities of higher education in aging and beyond can strengthen multi-level, collaborative efforts toward systems improvements for aging in community.

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Emily A. Greenfield, Ph.D., is a Professor of Social Work at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Dr. Greenfield is an internationally recognized scholar on community-based social innovations for aging in the US. Her pioneering research, teaching, and service seek to bolster community-based efforts toward more equitable opportunities for long and healthy lives. Her work has helped to advance understanding of innovative approaches to aging in community in the 21st century. Examples include age- and dementia-friendly community initiatives, supportive service programs for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, and Village organizations. With support from the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Greenfield also conducts research on how social inequalities stemming from childhood, especially in the context of structural racism, influence later life cognition and well-being