University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA.
University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus, Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team - Health Equity, 624 E. 1st. Street, Suite 201, Duluth, MN, 55805, USA.
J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2024 Mar;39(1):53-71. doi: 10.1007/s10823-023-09493-3. Epub 2023 Dec 19.
Successful aging in rural Alaska communities has been established as a characteristic best described by reaching "Eldership," conveying reverence and respect from the community and implying leadership responsibilities. Most Alaska Native (AN) Elders believe that aging successfully or aging well happens within their home communities. However, limited rural resources lead Elders to relocate to urban settings. While protective factors supporting aging well in rural communities have been established, little is known about which factors support aging well after relocation to an urban setting. This exploratory, qualitative, community-based participatory research study explored AN Elder's (ages 48-84) experiences comparing successful aging within four rural Alaska communities and of Elders who relocated from a rural to an urban community. Thirteen rural-based Elders and 12 urban-based Elders semi-structured interviews were compared to explore how successful aging was experienced similarly and differently in rural and urban settings. To age well in urban Alaska, access to health care services, family, and community engagement were essential. The main challenges for urban Elders involved establishing a sense of community, intergenerational involvement, and the ability to continue traditional ways of living. This research identified challenges, similarities, and differences in aging well in an urban community. The findings of this study inform practices, services, and policies to improve existing urban services and initiate needed urban services to foster successful aging after relocation from remote rural areas into urban communities in Alaska.
成功老龄化在阿拉斯加农村社区已经确立，其特点是达到“老年”，这体现了社区的敬意和尊重，并暗示了领导责任。大多数阿拉斯加原住民（AN）老年人认为，成功或健康地老龄化发生在他们的家庭社区中。然而，农村资源有限，导致老年人搬迁到城市环境中。虽然已经确定了支持农村社区成功老龄化的保护因素，但对于搬到城市环境后支持成功老龄化的因素知之甚少。这项探索性、定性、以社区为基础的参与式研究探讨了 AN 老年人（年龄在 48-84 岁之间）在四个阿拉斯加农村社区中成功老龄化的经验，以及从农村社区搬迁到城市社区的老年人的经验。对 13 名农村老年人和 12 名城市老年人进行了半结构化访谈，以探讨在农村和城市环境中成功老龄化的体验有何相似之处和不同之处。为了在阿拉斯加城市中健康老龄化，获得医疗保健服务、家庭和社区参与至关重要。城市老年人面临的主要挑战包括建立社区意识、代际参与以及继续传统生活方式的能力。这项研究确定了在城市社区中健康老龄化的挑战、相似之处和差异。本研究的结果为改善现有的城市服务和启动必要的城市服务提供了实践、服务和政策方面的信息，以促进从偏远农村地区搬迁到阿拉斯加城市社区后的成功老龄化。
