Abstract
Background/Aims Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) seniors face barriers to accessing social services. We describe formation of an interdisciplinary community-research partnership called SUSTAIN (Seniors Using Supports To Age In Neighborhoods), whose ultimate goal is to develop and adapt an aging-in-place model in a Denver metropolitan neighborhood that is home to a high concentration of LGBT individuals.
Methods Established in 2009, SUSTAIN partners represent a cross-segment of service deliver, community building, education, and research interests including social service agencies; local LGBT community members; the Denver Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Commission; a regional affiliate of Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Elders (SAGE); the LGBT community center for the state of Colorado; an affirming church leader; an area agency on aging; a non-profit healthcare and research organization; and a university researcher specializing in aging. Discussions were conducted among partners and written comments were solicited to understand community experience and reflections on the partnership.
Results The success of our SUSTAIN partnership hinged on several features. First, most partners’ affiliations bridged at least two of the aging, LGBT, and research communities we were uniting. Second, the partnership development mechanism required at least fifty-percent of funds be allocated to community partners, which was crucial for establishing trust. Third, SUSTAIN’s core values embraced a commitment to collaborative principles and explicitly addressed power imbalances.
Conclusions Members with existing capacity to connect communities and formalized funding frameworks that emphasize equity may be key ingredients for growing a sustainable community-research partnership.
