This webinar explores the use of modern-day elder councils based on an African tradition of engaging elders as intermediaries for their communities. The panelists highlight opportunities to minimize the impact of social determinants of health by working with elders to guide research and partnerships with health systems.

Researchers and community advocates evaluated the organizational structure of existing elder council models to determine how healthcare systems can incorporate their knowledge and connection to the community through the development of comprehensive community health improvement strategies.

Opportunities to engage with elders include:

• Recruiting elders to serve as conduits between healthcare systems and communities to disperse health information and available services.
• Encouraging feedback on what’s needed in the community to better understand and serve diverse health needs to improve health equity.
• Sharing information and resources with communities—in the most effective ways—during times of pandemic or crises.