USING A PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH PROCESS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN POLICYON AGING

As policy emerges from the interplay of economic, political, and socia l forces, determining whether research has made a difference to policy choices on aging issues is extremely difficult. Such a determination demands attention to the ''black box'' of the policy process, and the setting within which policy ultimately operates. This paper presents a Seniors' Independence Research Program as a case illustration of how research has made a difference to policy choices by stakeholder involv ement throughout the research process. Strategies ensure stakeholder c ollaboration in policy issue search, filtration, definition, and prior itization; involvement in the design, implementation, and evaluation o f health services models; and participation in achieving long-term evi dence-based changes in policy and practice.