Engaging Villages as Key Partners for Healthy Aging Outcomes Research: A Framework for Capacity Development
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: There is sustained enthusiasm for Villages as a community-centered model to promote the health and well-being of people as they age in their communities. Yet there are many challenges to advancing rigorous empirical evidence on the outcomes of Villages, including their small size, grassroots nature, variable implementation, and multiple components. As part of a larger engagement project, we aimed to develop a framework for capacity development toward outcomes research with Villages. We used qualitative data from virtual summits with approximately 400 Village participants across the United States and several other countries, including Village members, volunteers, staff, and partners. Data were primarily from discussion groups that asked participants to reflect on how Villages influence healthy aging, how Villages connect with broader health systems, and conditions for high-quality research partnerships. Through iteratively coding the data, our analysis identified four thematic categories for capacity development among Villages to engage in healthy aging outcomes research: (a) understanding and motivation for research (e.g., the desire to engage in research that “proves” the benefits of Villages), (b) cultivating partnerships (e.g., with other Villages and researchers), (c) theorizing Village interventions (including Villages as an intervention, as well as interventions embedded within Villages), and (d) procuring data systems and research protocols. Findings indicate how capacity development is not only a matter of technical skills and resources, but also encompasses social capital, human motivation, and theory development. The framework can assess readiness and capacity needs for Villages and similar community-based organizations to engage in healthy aging outcomes research.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: Natalie Pope, Emily Greenfield
Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W7118089196
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: