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Advocacy: Bringing Science to Policy and Practice
Author(s) -
Sykes James T.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-6612.1998.tb00873.x
Subject(s) - declaration , political science , public relations , best practice , set (abstract data type) , engineering ethics , sociology , public administration , law , computer science , programming language , engineering
. During the 1997 Congress on Gerontology the issue of advocacy was prominently raised in numerous sessions. The delegates affirmed the Declaration of Adelaide, an important statement which called attention to the policy implications of scientific findings. The Declaration set research, practice and education agendas and urged increased resources for gerontological research and programs affecting the well‐being of older persons and their families. The wisdom of “linking what we know and can do with what we hope for and desire,” as the theologian Jurgen Moltman has written, requires a systematic effort on the part of gerontologists to influence public policy, standards and professional practice. In short, gerontologists must become advocates. To be effective advocates they must raise awareness of critical issues, form coalitions with those who share the goal of a better world, and exchange information and best practices if the elders of society today ‐ and those who will be the elders of tomorrow ‐ are to benefit from science translated into sound policies and effective practices. Gerontologists must take their scientific findings ‐ and questions ‐ to the forums where policies are discussed and standards and practices developed.