Enfoques participativos con adultos mayores (PAAR-net)

There is an international commitment to involve people who do not have an academic role a greater role in science, in order to help generate impactful research and realize the European vision of science for the people, by the people. To support this commitment, PAAR-net's COST Action focuses on the co-production of knowledge, referred to here as participatory approaches, in research, policy-making and practice.

It focuses on research, policy and practice intervention designs by experts by training (usually academics) and experts by experience (usually non-academics). The Action focuses on a specific group of experienced experts who are often not included in research, namely older people (aged 65 and over, including those at risk of social exclusion). This COST Action aims to further develop participatory approaches with older adults as a means to foster inclusive social innovation in research, policy and practice for heterogeneous and just aging societies.

Objectives

PAAR-net aims to gather, exchange and promote knowledge on participatory approaches with older adults (including those at risk of social exclusion) by asking the following questions:

1. How can diverse groups of older adults (including those at risk of social exclusion) be meaningfully engaged to contribute their perspectives and experiences in participatory approaches to research, policy and practice development?
2. How do participatory approaches with diverse older adults (including those at risk of social exclusion) impact the research process and the quality of data collected?
3. How do participatory approaches impact those (academic and non-academic) involved in the research (e.g., well-being, reciprocal learning, emancipation)?

Through this, PAAR-net will shift the focus from an exclusionary to a participatory framework in thinking about aging.

Funding

Proposal funded by the EU funding agency for research and innovation networks, COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).