The fields of public health and aging have long understood the value of using multidimensional, ecological approaches to designing and evaluating interventions and programs for seniors in community settings. In addition, the cost effectiveness of senior health care programs is maximized when existing community resources are used. Many community- based organizations are key stakeholders with a vested interest in the health and well being of seniors. Likewise, academic institutions have as a part of their tri-fold mission of education, research and service, the obligation to serve as a resource to the community at large through service activities and programs. Academic-community partnerships are one way of implementing innovative programs for senior populations. Effective partnerships can also contribute to the adoption and maintenance of novel health programs for seniors. Although the engaged researcher may appreciate the need for and value of academic-community partnerships, very little is known regarding how to cultivate partnerships, what the potential roles and responsibilities are in partnership development and participation, what types of strategies can be used, what the limitations of such arrangements are, and what kinds of outcomes are realistic.
What constitutes effective academic-community collaboration in health programs for seniors? How are such collaborative relationships formed and what factors are associated with successful academic- community partnerships? What strategies are needed to build the relationships for implementation and maintenance of community-based health care programs? The articles in this issue illustrate the importance of identifying the structures, processes, and outcomes needed for effectively engaging academic and community-based organizations in the implementation and maintenance of community- based health programs for seniors.
The six articles presented in this issue provide success stories on the development of academic- community partnerships for community-based research and programs for seniors. The objective of each article is to describe the evolution of academic- community partnerships from the contexts of health care program development, implementation, and evaluation. Table 1 provides a summary of each article according to the specific older adult population of focus, the setting, the content areas or issues addressed by the senior program, the members of the partnership, and the outcomes and lessons learned from each experience.
Two of the articles (Evashwick and Ory; Glasser et al.) examine multiple community partnership strategies that provide insight into common elements of successful partnerships. The Evashwick and Ory article reports on a national evaluation of a number of senior programs; the Glasser et al., article focuses on a statewide evaluation of numerous projects located in rural areas that used two interrelated partnership strategies. The Saunders et al. article provides an example of the utility of an academic- community partnership in recruiting seniors for exercise and nutrition health promotion research. Radda et al. demonstrates how community partnerships can contribute to gaining access to hard-to-reach older adults with HIV/AIDS and other high-risk behaviors. Alkema et al. examines the relationships among multiple health care organizations, social service agencies, and academic researchers in a partnership to facilitate a telephone case management intervention for seniors. Finally, Phelan et al. presents an example of how to deliver a multiple component health promotion randomized trial for seniors through a partnership between a university team, senior centers, a health maintenance organization, and senior service agencies.
We hope that the diversity of processes and approaches used to develop community partnerships, the lessons learned and mutual benefits of academic-community relationships reported in these articles, contribute to a broader understanding and appreciation of such partnerships in promoting innovative health programs for seniors.