Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Successful Aging through the eyes of Alaska Natives

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

The "Successful Aging through the Eyes of Alaska Natives" project will support the dissertation research of the CoPI Jordon Lewis. Lewis will investigate what aging means for Alaska Natives both from an individual?s subjective point of view and through their role in a community. The research will shed light on what it means not only to be elderly but to be an Elder in Alaska Native communities. This project has the potential to provide new insights into a highly underrepresented group in research on aging. For decades our understanding of the experiences of the elderly has been based on majority culture data and models. As a result, public services to Alaska Native communities for their older residents have been less than optimal. The research undertaken by CoPI Lewis has the potential to transform the way we think about the aging process cross culturally and through this new understanding affect public policy for elder Alaskan residents.