The goal of most older Americans to age in place relies on housing affordability, accessibility, and proximity to services. This project seeks to apply a “housing lens,” developed through empirical bioethics research, to age-focused policymaking. Collaboration with a socially engaged network of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers will aim to produce a set of issue briefs that critically analyze ideas at the intersection of health policy and housing policy. The issue briefs will be designed for age-focused policymakers at state and regional/local levels, reflecting their roles in incentivizing housing development and in Medicaid and other relevant state-level programs. Sharing through policymaker networks will support use.
Our Grants
Housing America’s aging society: a bioethics standpoint for policy development
Nancy Berlinger, PhD
The Hastings Center
The Hastings Center
Grant Type
Bridging Bioethics Research & Policymaking
Grant Cycle
2022
Duration
12 months
Amount
$32,165
Grantee Q&A
We ask Bridging Bioethics Research & Policymaking grantees about lessons learned for increasing bioethics’ impact on policymaking.
Who was the intended audience for your project?
We wanted to reach age-focused policymakers at the state and local levels because of the local nature of housing development and state policymakers’ role in various aspects of housing-related policy. Early information sharing also led to opportunities to share and discuss our materials with national and regional audiences like AARP, LeadingAge, the Oregon Gerontological Association, and the Baltimore-area Housing and Health Collaborative.
What message did you seek to deliver and how?
This project sought to address the health and wellbeing of aging Americans through the intersection of health policy and housing policy. We wanted policymakers to think more broadly about health policy, to include housing development and support for aging in place. We created a discussion guide about the housing needs of aging moderate-income Americans that provides resources and seeks to build agreement on local action. We also developed slide decks to share information about our project and the discussion tool with policymakers.
How did you involve collaborators outside of bioethics research in your project?
Incorporating a broad network of specialists was vital. This project grew out of research collaboration between Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies and The Hastings Center, including the creation of a multi-disciplinary Housing, Aging, and Health Research Network. We also received practical feedback from pilot-testing our materials with interested policy-oriented groups.
What lessons did you learn about translating bioethics research to policymaking?
We learned how to tailor the content and method of information delivery for different audiences. Policymakers needed information specific to their level that reflected real-world examples of challenges and approaches. And we learned that a slide-deck discussion tool could be more useful for policymakers and easier to share than an issue brief.
Grant Focus Areas
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