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Well-being in old age: findings from participatory research
- Authors:
- WARD Lizzie, BARNES Marian, GAHAGAN Beatrice
- Publisher:
- University of Brighton; Age Concern Brighton, Hove and Portslade
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 88p.
- Place of publication:
- Brighton
This project was designed to develop understanding of what well-being means to older people, and of how it is produced. A major aim of the project was to make a contribution to thinking about policy and practice and how this might enhance or detract from the way people experience well-being in old age. Eleven co-researchers, aged between 60 and 87, were recruited between 2008 and 2011. The co-researchers carried out one to one interviews with 30 older people and seven focus groups in which another 59 older people took part. Findings revealed that relationships were significant. Families could be a source of support and security, but for some can also involve difficult and painful relationships, distance and estrangement. Good relationships with adult children can contribute to well-being and maintaining satisfactory relationships was recognised as important. Health also featured as an important factor in well-being; chronic ill health had not only physical effects, but also emotional and psychological impacts. However, Being able to draw on experiences gained over a lifetime, learning from past mistakes, or reflecting on the benefit of hindsight, informed present attitudes and was a personal resource for some.
Older people, well-being and participation
- Authors:
- BARNES Marian, WARD Lizzie, GAHAGAN Beatrice
- Journal article citation:
- Generations Review, 22(2), April 2012, Online only
- Publisher:
- British Society of Gerontology
The University of Brighton and Age Concern, Brighton, Hove and Portslade have been working on participatory research with older people since 2007. Their latest project investigates the experiences of older people in relation to well-being. They have also received ESRC Follow on Funding to apply learning from this project, and from their experiences of working with older people as co-researchers, to develop learning resources for older people's involvement. This article briefly describes what the researchers have learnt from their research into well-being and how the findings will be applied.
Crossing the divide between theory and practice: research and an ethic of care
- Authors:
- WARD Lizzie, GAHAGAN Beatrice
- Journal article citation:
- Ethics and Social Welfare, 4(2), July 2010, pp.210-216.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Abingdon
This article reflects on how an ethic of care framework, based on interconnected principles of attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness and trust can be applied to develop research practice. It highlights a research partnership between a voluntary-sector organisation for older people and a university research centre. The focus is a participatory research project on older people and well-being in which older volunteers were involved as co-researchers. The shared values of the voluntary-sector organisation’s culture of practice and the participatory approach of the university researchers have enabled joint research projects to be developed within an ethic of care framework. The model aimed to remove the barriers between expert and lay knowledge and encouraged the mutual recognition, sharing and validating of different areas of expertise. An ethic of care framework offers context-specific ways of understanding and responding to the ethical challenges of undertaking participatory research, and to the relational aspects of well-being identified by older people during the course of the work.