Social participation at the intersection of old age and lifelong disability: Illustrations from a Photo-Novel Project

Promoting empowerment and self-care in older women through participatory action research: Analysis of the process of change

AIM

To generate and understand the process of change in the empowerment of women from 60 to 80 years old through a Participatory Action Research.

SPECIFIC AIM

To analyse the women participants' experiences concerning empowerment and self-care.

DESIGN

We use the Participatory Action Research approach (in its critical option) in the Socio-critical Paradigm and applying the Kemmis and McTaggart Model.

METHODS

A group of 10 women participants from 60 to 80 years old was created and developed the Participatory Action Research from June 2019 to May 2020. This group was involved in 22 group sessions, individual interviews, reflective diaries and triangulation with quantitative data.

RESULTS

Findings were interpreted based on the Gestalt Self Theory. Women generated changes in their empowerment based on three characteristics (self-determination, self-esteem and self-confidence) and, consequently, in their self-care. They did so according to two distinct patterns of behaviour: Leader women and follower women. The former took the lead in transforming their realities and the latter observed them and evolved in a slower and more reflective manner. These changes had an impact on the most individual level (inner world) and went beyond that barrier, modifying in turn their immediate surroundings and the social level (outer world).

CONCLUSIONS

The group of older women began to consider their needs and consider themselves as important once they worked on their self-determination, self-esteem and self-confidence; we show these are key aspects to work on their empowerment and promote their self-care.

IMPACT

The patterns of behaviour and dimensions of empowerment detected may help in future research designs and emancipatory community interventions in this population group.

Equality according to whom? Debating an age-related restriction in the upcoming disability legislation reform in Finland

Within many countries, the policies of disability and old age have been developing on distinct paths. Even though the prevalence of disability is higher in older populations, older persons tend to be excluded from disability discourses. Taking Finland's disability service legislation reform as an example, this article elaborates on the justifications for excluding or including older persons from disability policies. The paper analyses the public statements given in 2017 to a proposal that introduced an age-related restriction to disability services in order to understand how the restriction is argued for and against, and what kind of conceptualisations of old age and disability the statements portray. This study found that although equality is the most important principle underlying the reform, the conceptualisation of equality varies. Depending on who is included in the disability discourse, the idea of what is fair differs. Hence, it is necessary to recognise the differing understandings of equality in the debate regarding the age-related restriction. In addition, I argue that equality research can be helpful in assessing the fairness of public policies at the intersection of ageing and disability.

Using photovoice to increase social inclusion of people with disabilities: Reflections on the benefits and challenges

The aim of this study was to understand the mobility experiences of mobility device users regarding the environmental and social barriers and facilitators in their community and to discuss the benefits and challenges of using photovoice, as a participatory methodology, to increase social participation for people with disabilities. Photovoice was used with mobility device users (n = 70) in two different locations in Canada. The participants took pictures for two weeks and then participated in individual interviews and focus group sessions to discuss their photographs. The participants took over 1,000 pictures that were grouped into five themes around social participation and accessibility. They chose the most illustrative pictures to share in an exhibit to create a dialogue with different stakeholders. Using photovoice offered many benefits such as allowing the participants to be equal partners of the research and made their voices heard, but also presented disability and study-related challenges.

Participation of People With Impairments in Seniors' Organizations: Conditions and Limitations on Inclusion

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

While older adults' social participation has attracted sustained attention, the realities faced by seniors with impairments in this area are still understudied. Social representations are formed from socially constructed opinions regarding a given object and have four functions (knowledge, identity, orientation, justification). The purpose of this article is to document the social representations that exist within seniors' organizations regarding participation by older people with impairments.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In this mixed-methods study, an exploratory sequential design was applied. First, a qualitative phase involved meetings with five focus groups to explore how participants would manage difficult situations in which the inclusion of an older person with impairments must be addressed. Second, a quantitative phase consisted of a questionnaire administered to 86 respondents to examine the components of social representations about the participation of older people with impairments.

RESULTS

Results show that, although research participants acknowledge that all seniors have the right to participate, this right confronts a collective identity infused with aging model that demands a youthful, "un-disabled" appearance and activities. In terms of the orientation function, making participation a reality is seen as relying on the efforts of people with impairments, but when there is a failure of inclusiveness, the reasons offered to justify it concern the resources available, rather than possible prejudices.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Interpretation of the results leads to recommendations for both implementing an inclusion philosophy and practices in seniors' organizations and revisiting the view of impairment in old age as otherness.

Participatory Action Research With Older Adults: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

Background and Objectives

Given population aging, the meaningful involvement of older adults in influencing policy and programs through participatory action research (PAR) is increasingly vital. PAR holds promise for equitable participation, co-learning, community mobilization, and personal and social transformation, however, little scholarly attention has been given to critically evaluating how PAR has been taken up with older adults. The objective of this review was to critically evaluate the use of PAR with older adults.

Research Design and Methods

A critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) of 40 PAR studies with older adults was conducted. Critical engagement with the articles identified dominant tendencies, limits of these tendencies, and proposed ways forward.

Results

Within the majority of articles reviewed, older adults were not prominent partners in PAR given their often limited involvement in designing the research questions, learning research skills and knowledge, and implementing findings for change. Furthermore, power differentials between researchers and older adults were evident, as older adults were often positioned as participants rather than partners. Finally, this article demonstrates various boundaries on the foci of studies related to inclusivity and sustainability.

Discussion and Implications

This study revealed that the promises PAR holds are often not fully realized in projects with older adults, given that they are rarely positioned as equitable partners, co-learners, or agents for change. The findings have the potential to stimulate further uptake of PAR research with an older adult population, highlighting areas for change in systems and research practices.

The challenge of inclusion for older people with impairments: Insights from a stigma-based analysis

The intersection of disability and aging often presents obstacles and discomfort for older people with disabilities keen to access mainstream opportunities for social participation. Besides individual situations and preferences - disability-based or not - environmental and social factors may limit full access to participation for older people with disabilities. Although ageist and ableist trends of contemporary ideas of aging have been documented, few studies have examined how those discourses are enacted in the field. In the context of participatory action research carried out since 2014 in a seniors' leisure club, we conducted 14 individual interviews with volunteers and seven focus groups with 45 members in order to explore their personal experiences with impairments and disability within the club, whether members who develop impairments can continue to participate and whether prospective new members with different types of impairments would be welcomed. We used an interactionist framework inspired by Goffman's work and based on the concept of stigma to analyze participants' narratives. Results indicate that participation by members with disabilities is seen as unusual, disconcerting and disjunctive. Evidence exposes the stigmatizing practices, encompassing labeling, stereotyping, setting apart and discrimination against members with impairments. Their participation may be acceptable if it does not affect the normal course of activities; otherwise, stigmatizing discourses relegate them to the margins. Because stigma can have an overwhelming impact on the lives and social participation of older people with impairments, stakeholders' awareness should be raised so they can understand it and intervene more effectively.

"Why would I want to go out?": Age-related Vision Loss and Social Participation

Social participation, a key determinant of healthy aging, is often negatively impacted by age-related vision loss (ARVL). This grounded theory study aimed to understand social participation as a process negotiated in everyday life by older adults with ARVL. Interviews, audio diaries, and life space maps were used to collect data with 21 older adults in two Ontario cities. Inductive data analysis resulted in a transactional model of the process of negotiating social participation in context. This model depicts how environmental features and resources, skills and abilities, and risks and vulnerabilities transacted with values and priorities to affect if and how social participation occurred within the context of daily life. The findings point to several ways that research and services addressing the social participation of older adults with ARVL need to expand, particularly in relation to environmental features and resources, risk, and the prioritization of independence.