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Introduction
Jordan P Lewis currently works at the College of Health, University of Alaska Anchorage. Jordan does research in Qualitative Social Research, Community Psychology and Positive Psychology. Their current project is 'Integrating Alaska Native culture in long term care settings'.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
September 2016 - present
September 2016 - present
Position
- PI
Description
- National Science Foundation Arctic Social Sciences Division. This 3 year study is exploring successful aging among Alaska Native elders in the Norton Sound Souther Sub-region and Anchorage for a rural and urban comparison.
July 2013 - present
Education
August 2005 - December 2009
August 1999 - December 2000
August 1997 - May 1999
Publications
Publications (81)
While Western community engagement with older adults research often focuses on topics such as community program involvement, volunteerism, and civic engagement, few studies have explored the role and impact of community engagement from an Alaska Native (AN) perspective. This presentation is part of a parent study consisting of 162 qualitative inter...
The concept of generativity, defined as teaching and guiding the next generation, is an important stage of human development. Little research has been conducted with Alaska Natives on their understanding of generativity and its role and impact on their emotional health. This presentation is part of a parent study that consists of 162 qualitative in...
Alaska Native (AN) Elders face significant challenges aging in place, yet Elders find joy and connection from living in their villages and often choose to remain in their villages as they age. As keepers of wisdom and knowledge bearers, AN Elders serve as guides and collaborators in overcoming challenges on individual, community, and at policy-leve...
Alaska Native Elders are rarely involved in creating educational and outreach materials. Over and over, Elders share that available educational and informative materials do not include their cultural understandings, programs do not meet their needs, and resource developers rarely attend to incorporate the specific and unique Alaska Native context....
Predominantly Western-based biomedical models of successful aging have been used to research, understand, and explain successful aging among diverse populations. The presenters on this symposium have been exploring successful aging from an Alaska Native perspective or what it means to reach “Eldership,” or age in a good way, in urban and rural comm...
Spirituality plays an important role and tends to increase in importance as one ages, including for Alaska Natives. Spirituality is also one of the guiding principles of aging well and contributes to other aspects of Elders’ lives. The presence of spirituality does not ensure successful aging, but rather enables them to maintain a positive and heal...
Native Elders are often underrepresented in data collection efforts due to distrust of Western research institutions and Western methodologies. Through over 16 years and 162 interviews with Alaska Native (AN) Elders, the Alaska Native Successful Aging Team, led by Dr. Jordan P. Lewis, has been employing strategies to decolonize research. In this pr...
Family stigma (FS), referring to experiences of stigma by association, is the consequence of stigmatizing beliefs and attitudes. This study assessed FS among Alaska Native (AN) Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) caregivers spanning three domains: caregiver, layperson, and structural stigma. Stigma can prevent caregivers from seeking a...
Physical health is a key component of Western-centered models of successful aging. Physical movement in the form of exercise and functional activities are described in the literature as strategies to maintain health through reduced risk for falls, pain, and chronic disease, and to increase quality of life. However, physical health may not be consis...
Implementation frameworks can help increase the relevance and sustainability of intervention research with Indigenous populations. The He Pikinga Waiora (HPW) framework centers around Māori self-determination and has four elements: community engagement, cultural centeredness, integrated knowledge translation, and systems thinking. This study applie...
Engaging in community-based participatory research with Indigenous communities has become an accepted approach in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as by funders. Our team has been conducting community-engaged research with Alaska Native communities for over 16-years. We have conducted qualitative, in-depth, interviews wit...
The focus of this symposium, co-sponsored by the Indigenous Peoples and Aging Research Interest Group and Rural Aging Interest Group, is to highlight projects that apply Indigenous and/or non-Western perspectives to co-create research or programs for Indigenous people. While researchers and practitioners continue to work on closing the research imp...
Alaska Native people face unique challenges growing old, including geographical remoteness, limited resources, and rural socioeconomic disparities. Rural Alaska Native Elders migrate to urban areas within Alaska to access medical services and resources, improve economic situations, or reunite with family. Migration is often associated with a loss o...
With the rate of dementia increasing among Alaska Native people and the tribal health system ill-equipped to meet the challenges associated with dementia care, there is an urgent need to better understand cultural perspectives on dementia caregiving and what states and communities can do to support their caregivers. Despite the fact caring for othe...
This paper outlines a unique culturally driven cyclical migration of Alaska Native Elders. This Indigenous cyclical migration is distinct from other previously described mobility observations in that Elders spend extended time in more than one community. We describe the cyclical migration of Alaska Native (AN) Elders and its influence on the Elders...
This symposium will outline and discuss the unique circumstances and challenges of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander dementia caregivers. Dementia is one of the top causes of death worldwide, with Alzheimer’s disease currently being the ninth leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native peop...
Indigenous peoples worldwide face unique challenges growing old. Many of these challenges are founded in historical colonization practices, present oppressive systems, racism, and underrepresentation in research, service provision, health education, and successful aging theories. The focus of this symposium is to discuss specific barriers and chall...
Patients, caregivers, and providers face an oftentimes‐confusing healthcare terrain around dementia diagnostics and care given the lack of standardization for screening and evaluation of neurocognitive disorders. This can be further compounded by systemic healthcare inequalities and historical and present‐day marginalization faced by Indigenous pop...
The field of successful aging continues to grow and expand as authors investigate this topic in BIPOC populations, broadening the scope of successful aging, including Indigenous communities in the Arctic. Successful aging in Alaska Native communities is still a young, but growing, field of research, and this field of study places Indigenous voices...
Alaska Natives (AN) view aging from a holistic perspective. One of the challenges of researching with cultural groups is the lack of data, or research, on culture and aging. This research explored successful aging from an AN perspective. A community-based participatory research (CBPR) model was used to engage participants at every stage of the rese...
Dementia diagnoses have been increasing in Indigenous populations for over a decade and have now surpassed rates in non‐Indigenous populations in both Canada and the U.S. Prevalence rates of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) are approximately 3 times higher in Indigenous populations compared to White populations, with a 10‐year earli...
As an Alaska Native from the Bristol Bay region, this presentation will discuss being an insider and outsider in your own community and how it impacts research studies. Using case studies from my dissertation research, this presentation will discuss positionality and how to collect objective data, the lack of objectivity in getting, analyzing, and...
Care recipients often report multiple caregivers that provide assistance. Yet, consideration of conceptual and methodological issues of caregiving networks has yet to be fully explored. This paper proposes a care collaboration index for each care network that predicts variation in collaboration among multiple networks. The association between netwo...
In response to populations that have been chronically underserved and underrepresented within the social sciences, scholars have outlined the need for community-based engagement strategies and research methodologies that are able to represent the voices of those communities to promote culturally informed, appropriate, and driven health initiatives....
Evidence indicates Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and chronic diseases considered risk factors for developing ADRD disproportionately affect Indigenous people. However, little is known regarding lived experiences, needs and resiliencies across the ADRD disease trajectory in Indigenous communities. This work highlights preliminary...
Alaska Native (AN) Elders have historically been underrepresented in research. Innovative AN research posits that practice-based evidence is fundamental to culturally grounded, multifaceted methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 AN Elders and 12 AN and non-Native caregivers in two studies exploring cultural understandings of mem...
Generativity is not often associated with successful aging, but aligns with the cultural values and practices of Alaska Native Elders. This study explored the concept of generativity, why elders share their knowledge, how it makes them feel, and what they want everyone to know. This study interviewed 108 Alaska Native Elders across Alaska, ages ran...
aged well, yet today they experience high rates of illness and lower access to care because of colonisation. Aand this research explores successful ageing from an AN perspective or what it means to achieve “Eldership” in the rural Northwest Alaska. A community-based participatory research approach was used to engage participants at every stage of t...
Objectives
In many families, multiple caregivers support older adults living with dementia. Studying collaboration among caregivers requires consideration of conceptual and methodological issues that have not been fully explored. This study presents a framework for conceptualizing caregiver collaboration and an index that captures variation in coll...
Mentorship programs for Native American (NA) faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields hold significant promise toward developing, recruiting, and retaining NA members of the professoriate. In 2018, a qualitative study was conducted that explored experiences, and mentoring relationships that enhanced or inhibited pr...
“Generativity” represents an important stage of human development, when you share your knowledge and skills with younger people to pass on your legacy. Very little research has been conducted with Indigenous populations regarding their understanding of generativity and its role in well-being and mental health, but Indigenous Peoples refer to this a...
Background: American Indian (AI) older adults experience pronounced health disparities and demonstrate among the lowest levels of physical activity (PA) of racial and ethnic groups. Nearly half of AI older adults live in rural areas, indicating distinct challenges to participation in PA. Research to identify factors influencing PA among this popula...
This article builds on the People Awakening Project, which explored an AlaskaNative understanding of the recovery process from alcohol use disorder and sobriety. The presentation will explore motivating and maintenance factors for sobriety among older AN adult participants (age 50+) from across Alaska. Ten life history narratives of Alaska Native o...
During a visit over tea and pilot bread, discussing successful aging and well-being, an Inupiat Elder shared that “It’s better to live a happier life, enjoy life all you can.” These wise words inspired the theme of this chapter which explores the role of laughter in the resilience and wellbeing of Alaska Native Elders. Based on a decade of research...
Much of the past research conducted with tribal communities was coined "helicopter research," because researchers would enter the community, gather data, and leave the community, never to inform communities how the data was used or published, creating mistrust. Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a research approach conducted as an equ...
Alaska Native (AN) Elders have historically been underrepresented in research. Innovative AN research posits that practice-based evidence is fundamental to culturally grounded, multifaceted methods. AN Elders is a cultural convention distinguishing Elders who continue to serve as an integral part of their family and community and recognized by thei...
Background:
The proportion of the Native population aged 65+ is projected to increase between 2015 and 2045, from 7-12%, and health care providers are ill-prepared to meet the demand of Alzheimer's Disease and related disorders (ADRD). There is an increasing urgency to better understand Alaska Native views of ADRD.
Method:
Guided by Kleinman's e...
Alaska Native (AN) Elder Centered Research Methodology
American Indian (AI) older adults experience pronounced health disparities and demonstrate one of the lowest levels of physical activity (PA) among racial and ethnic groups. Nearly half of AI older adults live in rural areas, indicating distinct challenges to participation in PA. Research to identify factors influencing PA in this population is mis...
Objectives: American Indians (AIs) generally consume less alcohol than the US general population; however, the prevalence of alcohol use disorder is higher. This is the first large cohort study to examine binge drinking as a risk factor for vascular brain injury (VBI). Methods: We used linear and Poisson regression to examine the association of sel...
The population of the United States is aging and by 2045 it is projected that approximately 1 in every 6 Alaskans will be 65+. Delivering healthcare and meeting the needs of older Alaskans in their community is critical to supporting healthy aging and community sustainability. Alaska Native (AN) Elders are underserved with very few studies providin...
Background and Objectives
Physical activity (PA) is a powerful protective factor known to reduce risk for chronic conditions across the lifespan. PA levels are lower among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) when compared with other racial/ethnic groups and decrease with age. This evidence justifies a synthesis of current intervention resea...
The State of Alaska has a young history and is experiencing rapid sociocultural and demographic changes as a result of social, economic, and political development. Despite the changes, Alaska Native Elders have persisted through their cultural teachings. One of the key tenets of successful aging is generativity or teaching and guiding the future ge...
This presentation presents and builds upon the Alaska Native Successful Aging model. Elders’ conceptions of successful aging differ from the Western model, how rural and urban environments influence successful aging, and the lessons Elders pass down to ensure a healthy lifestyle are not common in the literature. 42 Alaska Native Elders from the Nor...
Background and objectives:
With the rate of Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD) increasing among Alaska Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people, the Alaska Native Health system is ill-prepared to meet the challenges associated with the growing population at risk of ADRD. The high cost of care, inadequate training of health care providers,...
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities experience notable health disparities associated with substance use, including disproportionate rates of accidents/injuries, diabetes, liver disease, suicide, and substance use disorders. Effective treatments for substance use are needed to improve health equity for AI/AN communities. However, a...
Background: Providing direct care for an individual with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) is a source of chronic stress for caregivers. Spirituality and religion are important to Alaska Native (AN) identity and this study explored the role of spiritual practices as a coping mechanism for dementia caregivers.
Purpose: The aim of the...
Meeting the healthcare needs of Alaska Native (AN) Elders in remote communities is critical to support successful aging and this study allows AN Elders from the Aleutian region to share their experiences and define successful aging, supporting the limited research on AN successful aging. This study interviewed 19 Elders in two communities from the...
The aim of this study was to explore motivating and maintenance factors for sobriety among older AN adult participants (age 50+) from across Alaska. Ten life history narratives of Alaska Native older adults, representing Alutiiq, Athabascan, Tlingit, Yup’ik/Cup’ik Eskimos, from the PA sample were explored using thematic analysis. AN older adults ar...
Recently, researchers have been exploring successful aging in rural communities of Alaska as it is experienced by Alaska Native Elders. Due to outmigration based on economic, medical, or familial influences, many Alaska Native elders leave their home communities to live in urban settings in Alaska, even though research suggests that most elders wou...
The psychological construct of generativity encompasses a person’s motivation to leave a legacy for future generations by investing in acts that will outlive the self (Ericson, 1950). Lewis and Allen (2017) outlined the importance of generativity within AN cultures (caring for the future of our youth) and expanded Erikson’s western-based definition...
RÉSUMÉ
L’activité physique est généralement considérée comme un facteur contribuant de façon significative au vieillissement réussi d’une personne. Certains groupes n’ont cependant pas été suffisamment représentés dans les discussions sur l’activité physique et le vieillissement, particulièrement ceux provenant d’horizons culturels différents. Dans...
This study explores continuity and change in the roles of rural Alaska Native grandparents, describing their importance in contemporary Yup’ik social life and structure. The study is distinctive in its focus on the experiences of Yup’ik grandparents who are primary caregivers raising their grandchildren in Southwest Alaska. Qualitative data were ga...
There is a growing field of research on the health impacts for caregivers and the available and needed support services in rural and tribal communities. Research has mostly focused on a specific western definition of caregiver (i.e., primary caregiver) and the pre-supposed supports needed for these individuals based on a dominant paradigm. In the d...
This article builds on the People Awakening (PA) Project, which explored an Alaska Native (AN) understanding of the recovery process from alcohol use disorder and sobriety. The aim of this study is to explore motivating and maintenance factors for sobriety among older AN adult participants (age 50+) from across Alaska. Ten life history narratives o...
American Indian and Alaska Native sexual minority (two-spirit) women are vulnerable to substance misuse and mental health challenges due to multiple minority oppressed status and exposure to stress and trauma. Yet, these women find pathways toward healing and wellness. We conducted a qualitative data analysis of interviews derived from a national h...
This paper explores how Canadian youth who participate in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) and teachers who advise them perceive and/or experience bi/pansexuality. Participants’ perspectives on, definitions of, and alignment with bi/pansexuality are examined as they unpack mis/understandings associated with non-monosexual identities. For GSA members, b...
Background:
Although notable health disparities related to alcohol use persist among Alaska Native people living in rural communities, there is a paucity of research examining drinking behaviour in particular segments of this population, including elders. One explanation for this is the distrust of behavioural health research in general and alcoho...
We used community-based participatory research with four tiers of governance and grounded theory methods to examine the lives of Alaska Native grandparents rearing grandchildren in a rural community. We explored the reasons Native grandparents reared or are rearing their grandchildren, challenges rearing grandchildren, and the joys of grandparentho...
This article explores the role of social engagement (family and community support) in Alaska Native (AN) Elders’ definitions of successful ageing, why social engagement is important to the health and well-being of AN Elders. In terms of methods, each tribal council nominated AN Elders, ranging in age from 61 to 93 years old, resulting in a purposiv...
Many Alaska Native Elders attended government-run boarding schools as children, were forbidden to speak their native language, and were forced to abandon their traditional subsistence lifestyle, yet they maintained an optimistic outlook on life and continued to age well. The Explanatory Model Interview Protocol was adapted to interview a purposive...
There is a paucity of research on Alaska Natives and their views on whether or not they believe they will age successfully in their home and community. There is limited understanding of aging experiences across generations.
This research explores the concept of successful aging from an urban Alaska Native perspective and explores whether or not the...
As rural and urban communities in Alaska face an increasing elderly population, it will be important to understand the experiences of Alaska Native (AN) Elders and explore the reciprocal relationship between Elders and communities and the impact each has on health and well-being. This article highlights the role of the community in AN Elders' defin...
Objectives: Past research conducted with Alaska Native communities involved researchers entering the community to gather data then leaving with that data never being returned or presented or the researchers to be heard from again. The communities were not made aware of the findings, how the data was used, or where the information was published. Thi...
The need for culturally appropriate long term care services provided by tribal communities has become the focus of Indian Country within the past few years. This paper highlights two regions of rural Alaska that participated in region wide Elder Needs Assessments and what each region is doing to meet the needs of their growing elderly population....
As the country faces a rapidly growing population of older adults, with a majority of them being ethnic minorities, the numbers requiring long term and post-acute care will also increase.
Recognizing this growing need among its own residents, the Denali Center in Fairbanks, Alaska, incorporates unique architectural style, plants, animals, and mult...
Alaska Natives (ANs) view aging from a holistic perspective, which is not typical of the existing successful aging literature. One of the challenges of conducting research with cultural groups (e.g., ANs) is the lack of data, or research, on culture and aging and its impact on how we view successful aging. This research explores successful aging fr...
Significant attention has been paid to the mental health concerns of Alaska Native peoples, with emphasis on alcoholism and suicide. The alcoholism rate among Alaska
Native peoples is double the national average (Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, 1999). Alcohol is related to high crime rates (Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, 20...
There is very little research on Alaska Native (AN) elders and how they subjectively define a successful older age. The lack of a culturally-specific definition often results in the use of a generic definition that portrays Alaska Native elders as aging less successfully than their White counterparts. However, there is a very limited understanding...
Much of the literature addressing successful aging focuses on non-minority populations, establishing a broad definition of what it means to age successfully based on mainstream concepts and definitions of aging. Consequently, this mainstream definition of successful aging precludes localized and indigenous perspectives and runs the risk of assessin...
2 Introduction As the elderly AI/AN population increases, the prevalent rates of chronic conditions in Indian Country will rise dramatically, as well as the need for long-term care services. However, the Indian Health Service does not directly fund long term care for AI/AN elders. While the Medicaid program is the primary source of funding for the...
Questions
Questions (10)
I am designing a research study to develop an intergenerational program on dementia for tribal communities. I am trying to figure out how to explore the feasibility and impact of a pilot study and not just develop an intergenerational program but have an NIH research format. I welcome any suggestions, measures have been used with intergenerational programs, and any other recommendations and tips.
I am writing a manuscript on dementia caregiving among Alaska Natvies and am looking for citations for some review Articles on dementia caregiving among the general population as well as racial and ethnic minority populations. Any seminal writings you would recommend I includenin my manuscript literature review and discussion?
I conducted a study exploring cultural construction of Alzheimer’s Disease among Alaska Native caregivers and health care providers (Alaska Native and non-Native) using Kleinman’s Explanatory Model of Illness. I am looking for recommendations or examples on how to strucutre the findings for a manuscript? Do I outline findings using the 5 elements of the explanatory model and compare both populations?
Thank you,
Jordan
I am working on an NIH grant proposal (secondary data analyses focus) to culturally adapt a currently existing Elder Needs Assessment survey developed for American Indian communities. Some of the needs assessment questions are not relevant for Alaska Native communities and I would like to ask for recommendations and resources on the steps to adapt specific questions to improve relevance to Alaska Native communities. The grant requires secondary data analyses, which I have access to from previous administrations of the Needs Assessment survey to Alaska Native communities. Thank you.
I am working on a project focused on the integration of Indigenous cultures (traditional spirituality, values, beliefs, Native foods, language, dances) into long term care settings to improve quality of care and quality of life of residents. Would anyone know the literature and/or resources that support the importance and outcomes of this work beside anecdotal evidence?
Thank you.
I am conducting a secondary data analysis on a dataset that used 10 measures of cognitive function and I am interested in knowing which measure(s) are more susceptible than others to short or long-term alcohol consumption. Here are the 10 measures used in the study:
-Cognitive 3MS Part 1
-Cognitive 3MS Part 2
-Cognitive CVLT
-Cognitive FingerTap
-Cognitive DSCT
-Cognitive FAS A
-Cognitive FAS F
-Cognitive FAS S
-a cognitive FAS Total
-Cognitive Checklist
Thank you.
I am teaching a doctoral level qualitative research methods course and the students enjoy interactive, classroom based activities. This week's lesson is on sampling in qualitative research. I would like to ask if anyone have any creative class activities that will illustrate sampling strategies and challenges for qualitative research methods?
I am interested in asking questions focused on generativity and exploring the connection between levels of generativity as measured by the Loyola Generativity Scale and levels of drinking among Alaska Native older adults. Does anyone think that MI and other measures of alcohol use and readiness to change scales can be used to assess readiness to change and work with others to discuss reasons/motivations to re-engage in culturally meaningful and generative acts to replace drinking behaviors? Use MI to connect Elder in recovery with an elder struggling with alcohol to define their own motivations to re-engage with family, community, and culture and give them their identity and sense of purpose back that alcohol took away from them. How can I develop this into a grant proposal and which measures would be most appropriate for a study of this nature?
Does anyone know if there are measures assessing the value and level of respect by youth (younger generations) who are receiving information from older adults?
One of the challenges associated with research on generativity and older adults is determining whether or not the generative acts are received and appreciated by the younger generations (Cheng, 2009). Researchers have noted that in order for generativity to have a positive impact on the Elders’ health and well-being, the acts must be appreciated by those receiving the messages and teachings (Cheng, 2009).
Does anyone know if a measure has been developed to measure this?
I am working on a grant application for a project exploring natural recovery among Alaska Native elders and their pathways to recovery and I am trying to find a survey instrument that focuses on past drinking behaviors and patterns with older adults.
