“Stuff You Should Know About Age Friendly Neighborhoods but Don’t”: Researching Aging-in-Place With Older Adults as Co-Researchers

Managing expectations in participatory research involving older people: what’s in it for whom?

“…From a common frame of reference, older co-researchers are able to converse and empathize with the interviewee, which makes the interviewee feel more at ease to share more and richer information (Littlechild et al, 2015;Miller et al, 2006;Warren & Cook, 2005). Also, in a participatory project involving older adults, it was found that the process of interviewing friends deepened existing relationships (Theunissen & van Hoven, 2018). Involving co-researchers in subsequent research stages such as data analysis, may enhance the academic researcher's understanding of the data collected (Miller et al, 2006).…”

“…Ellins et al (2012, p. 11) explain how their participatory research's aim was not to only investigate care transition experiences of older people, but also conduct the research in such a way that could 'help embed the findings in health and social care policy and practice'. Although their findings were communicated and listened to by the stakeholders, Ellis et al ( 2012) remark that their qualitative evidence was not found particularly suitable to translate into policy instruments (see also Theunissen & van Hoven, 2018). The difficulties related to transferring participatory research findings into practice and policy highlight, as vital requirements for effecting actual change, the importance of a mandate and the skill to translate qualitative evidence into policy and practical measure.…”

“…The project 'Age-friendly Vinkhuizen' was initiated by researchers from the University of Groningen (UG), who had previously conducted a similar project in an adjacent neighbourhood (see Theunissen & van Hoven, 2018). For the UG researchers the motivation behind the project was to explore what an age-friendly community entails from the perspective of older adults in Vinkhuizen.…”

“…Recognizing the need to address the combined pressures of population ageing and urbanization, the World Health Organization (WHO) stresses the importance of 'age-friendly cities', and promotes an ageing-in-place approach (World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). Ageing-inplace policies emphasise the services and resources a local neighbourhood offers to older adults to provide formal and informal support, familiarity and predictability and addressing independence and wellbeing (Wiles, Leibing, Guberman, Reeve, & Allen, 2012;Lager, van Hoven, & Huigen, 2013;Theunissen & van Hoven, 2018). However, the ways in which older people experience their neighbourhood do not always align with the operationalization of ageing-in-place policies in neighbourhoods (Lager et al, 2013).…”