Introducing students to healthy aging within their own communities: An online applied research experience.

Engaging gerontology students in research that hits "close-to-home" can have lasting benefits for them and their communities both professionally and personally. Since 2016, cohorts of undergraduate/certificate students in an online applied research in aging course have explored healthy aging in their Massachusetts' (MA) communities. The students utilized both primary and secondary data sources. First, they extracted data from the 2014-2015 healthy aging data report (HADR) community profiles of 367 MA communities. Then they conducted in-person interviews with a diverse set of stakeholders in their respective communities. The interviews were designed to examine the profiles, identify challenges and/or strengths, and highlight community resources and intervention strategies. Over three academic semesters, a total of 67 interviews were conducted in 13 communities. The top three health indicators of concern raised by the stakeholders, that the students learned about, were the high rates of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. Other non-health related challenges were transportation, affordable housing, wellness/prevention, and the built environment. The student reflections on their research experience highlight the value of providing opportunities to collect and analyze data, to learn about a substantive issue, and the needs of local older adults.