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October 2016
Policy&Practice
35
AUTHENTIC VOICE
continued from page 10
Transparency and Trust
To meet the goals of this project,
all parties must trust not only in the
process, but their partners and col-
leagues. That begins with the funder.
According to Jacobs, “PCORI asks that
patients and family members and the
people who are being studied actually
have a say in the research. They want
to know what questions are being
asked and if we are doing it in a way
that they can use that information to
make it applicable to the lives of other
older adults. That is innovative and
pushing the envelope.”
Most important to the project is estab-
lishing trust. At Jewish Family Service
of Los Angeles, the peer training focuses
on cultural sensitivity and formation
of a partnership between the peer and
the older adult. Says Castro, “Peers are
encouraged to view the people they
are visiting in a comprehensive way, as
people with strengths, a rich past, and a
lot to offer. Peer support is a partnership
and the peer benefits greatly from the
relationship as well.”
To ensure a trusting relationship is
established between the researchers
and community partners, the Alliance
has served as “cultural brokers” to
facilitate transparent communications
and learning between the academic
and community partners. For example,
the Alliance facilitated an informa-
tional meeting between long-term
health care providers in the West Palm
Beach, Florida area and AJFCS to learn
about the research.
Impact and Action
For Jacobs, the potential impact
of Effectiveness of Peer-to-Peer
Community Support to Promote Aging
in Place includes influence. “Ideally, we
will find a significant impact in peer-
to-peer support over the usual care in
the community in terms of the way the
older adults feel about their ability to
age in their homes. That evidence can
then be used to advocate for funding to
disseminate and implement in the most
helpful places. Plus, we have a mecha-
nism to ensure it is being disseminated
effectively and that the services are
working well—due to the data we have
collected authentically. Ultimately, we
believe that this will also be of financial
benefit to older adults and the commu-
nities where they live,” she says.
This project could offer many older
adults the option of aging in their home
with dignity because throughout the
project, at all levels, authentic voice
was inherently embedded, as it is in
human-serving organizations.
“Authentic voice is part of who we are;
it’s in everything we do in a conscious
way,” says Frumer of AJFCS. “This
project is another example of our mission
to strengthen communities, which
means we are really focused on hearing
these nuances that people present to us.”
Pinsoneault agrees, “Authentic
engagement isn’t just about hearing
opinions and getting feedback from
the people we seek to serve. It is about
working alongside people rather than
on their behalf, to truly understand
their lived experience, and to build on
the assets that already exist to create a
better future.”