BUILDING A PARTNERSHIP OF UNIVERSITY RESOURCES AND RURAL SERVICE PROVIDERS: A CASE STUDY

This article describes the development of a partnership made up of a university-based gerontology center, a state department on aging, and agencies serving older people to examine differences between urban and rural areas in the provision of services to an elderly clientele. Five steps of the collaborative process are described: (1) building a collaborative relationship, (2) development of a research proposal, (3) discussion of the results, (4) principles and conclusions, and (5) the payoff. The first two steps describe the context in which the substantive issues were addressed and the formal development of a proposal and work plan for the conduct of the research. The principles emphasize the usefulness of task allocation based on existing resources, skills, and interests; recognition of the costs of participation by rural agencies; and schedules that accommodate the extra time necessary to revise, review, and reach consensus on issues of concern. The payoff describes actions taken by the aging network following acceptance of the final report, and research activity generated by the findings. The step-by-step process described is a potential model for partnerships encompassing university resources and agencies serving the elderly.