Social research and co-production with older people: Developing age-friendly communities

• Published in: Journal of aging studies Vol. 44; pp. 52 - 60
• Main Author: Buffel, Tine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01-03-2018
• Subjects: Age-friendly communities; Aged; Aging; Co-production; Co-research with older people; Community-Based Participatory Research; Empowerment; Female; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle Aged; Participatory research; Poverty; Power (Psychology); Research Design; Residence Characteristics; United Kingdom; User engagement; Participatory research; Co-production; Co-research with older people; Age-friendly communities; User engagement; Empowerment
• ISSN: 0890-4065; 1879-193X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaging.2018.01.012

The aging of the population, together with the need for more inclusive and responsive policies and services, has contributed to a burgeoning interest in co-production and co-research with older people. To date, however, only a limited number of studies have addressed how the participation of older persons as research partners can be practically realized in community-based research. The purpose of this article is to provide insights into the process of co-producing a research project with older residents living in low-income neighborhoods in Manchester, United Kingdom. The project was unique in involving and training eighteen older people as co-researchers who took a leading role in all phases of a study aimed at developing “age-friendly” communities. The co-researchers also completed 68 interviews with residents aged 60 and over who were experiencing social isolation within their neighborhood. This paper describes the methodological approach developed for the study together with a description of the recruitment and training of co-researchers. It then presents findings based upon four reflection meetings with the co-researchers, focusing on their motivations for working on the project and their relationship with the interviewees. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for developing co-production work with older people in age-friendly research, policy and practice.
•First, the paper gives an ‘insider’ account of the process of co-research, drawing upon the experiences of older people trained to undertake a community-based research project.•Second, the findings demonstrate that older adults can bring important skills, and a strong commitment to research, particularly if it is a means to become politically active and more socially connected.•Third, the research highlights challenges associated with negotiating power differentials among different groups, and barriers to achieving project sustainability.