Improving the Lives of Older People
What works for the aging population, why does it work, and with whom does it work best? Researchers working through the Edward R. Roybal Centers for Applied Gerontology, established one decade ago by the National Institute on Aging, have attempted to answer these issues. The March 2003 special issue of The Gerontologist presents the key problems researchers faced and how they were addressed in their efforts to translate theory and basic research into practical outcomes for older adults. Guest editors for this special issue were Karl Pillemer of Cornell University, Sara Czaja of the University of Miami, and Richard Schulz of the University of Pittsburgh.

Karlene Ball and Virginia Wadley of the University of Alabama and Daniel Roenker of Western Kentucky University argue that field research offers the best opportunity for ecological validity. In their study they draw examples from ongoing, longitudinal Roybal Center study of driving competence that is being conducted in Department of Motor Vehicles field sites. They also argue that assessing Useful Field of Vision (UFOV) and its relationship to driving competence provides a good illustration that research can accomplish both theoretical and applied goals. "On the basis of … preliminary data from the large-scale Maryland study we have evidence that UFOV is highly predictive of crash involvement in older drivers."

The study by Sara J. Czaja and Joseph Sharit of the University of Miami shows how aging and performance of real-world computer-based work tasks are used to provide information about human performance that can be translated into solutions for real-world problems.

Karl Pillemer, J. Jill Suitor of Louisiana State University, and Elaine Wethington of Cornell University demonstrate that attention to theory and basic research can shed light on the effects of family caregiving and can lead to creative intervention designs. Pillemer and his colleagues noted that "collaboration between researchers and clinicians" who specialize in diagnosing and treating aging-related problems can ultimately bring about a balance between social scientists' attention to theory and the grounded experience of human needs provided by practitioners.

One of the reasons some groups are underrepresented in health promotion research is because it is difficult to recruit and retain volunteers from these groups. Jan Warren-Findlow, Thomas R. Prohaska, and David Freedman of the University of Illinois at Chicago look at strategies for increasing participant recruitment and retention. They argue that program design decisions can significantly influence the participation of underrepresented populations in exercise health promotion programs for older African Americans. "Using African American staff, recruiting in African American settings, providing facilities in the local community, and tailoring the program content" are effective tools in health promotion research.

The Roybal Centers have given particular emphasis to widespread dissemination of information to practice audiences. However, it is also true that the results of interventions are often underutilized, and practitioners may be unaware that programs exist that could be useful to their clients. Marianne Farkas, Alan M. Jette, Sharon Tennstedt, Stephen M. Haley, and Virginia Quinn of the Roybal Center for the Enhancement of late Life Functioning at Boston University look at dissemination and utilization goals. They argue that a strategic approach that includes exposure, experience, expertise and embedding are necessary for successful dissemination efforts. Finally, an underlying premise of the Roybal Centers is that interventions should be grounded in theory and basic research findings. In reality, however, the connections between theory, research, and interventions are often tenuous. Scott C. Brown and Denise C. Park of the Edward R. Roybal Center on Aging and Cognition at the University of Michigan provide an example of the benefits of making such connections within the field of cognitive science. They demonstrate how theories and mechanisms of cognitive aging provide fertile ground for investigation such issues such as how adults process medical information and how medical behavior like taking medication can be improved.

The Gerontologist is a refereed publication of The Gerontological Society of America, the national organization of professionals in the field of aging.