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Ageing activists: who gets involved in older people's forums?
- Authors:
- BARNES Marian, HARRISON Elizabeth, MURRAY Lesley
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 32(2), February 2012, pp.261-280.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Senior Citizens’ Forums have been established across East Sussex to provide a mechanism for dialogue between the County Council, the Primary Care Trusts, other public agencies, and older people. The aim of this article is to explore the characteristics and motivations of the members of these forums, specifically looking at: how they see themselves in relation to ‘other older people’; and their relationships with the places in which they live. The article draws upon pieces of research conducted with 2 forums. The first involved participatory research with forum members to explore issues prompting their participation and their experiences of this. The second comprised biographical interviews with forum members with reference to mobility and participation over their lifespan. The findings are discussed in relation to the characterisation of participants in such forums as the ‘usual suspects’ whose legitimacy to speak on behalf of others may be questioned, and by reference to a growing recognition of the significance of place in the lives of older people. Important differences in motivations, backgrounds and priorities of forum members are shown between the 2 forums. The research confirms that place-based participation tends to engage those who are fitter and who have more social and cultural capital, but questions assumptions that this means they are spaces for the pursuit of self-interest.