Autor(es): Nossa, Paulo ; Pereira, Sofia Vale ; Lima, Margarida ; Vieira, Cristina C. ; Mota Pinto, Anabela
Data: 2024
Identificador Persistente: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/116159
Origem: Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra
Projeto/bolsa: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/other/101087071//other; info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB/PT;
Assunto(s): Ageing in place; Co-research; Older people; Focus groups; Empowerment
Studies involving older people as co-investigators are limited in Portugal. The main objectives of this article are: (I) Analyze the barriers identified by older people living in low-density territories that pose a challenge to ageing in place. (ii) Understand the co-research methodology as an appropriate instrument for increasing the participatory capacity of older people and improving the conditions for ageing in place. (iii) Assess the role of social networks and community support in providing informal assistance to older people in low-density territories. The study involved 14 co-researchers, who had a balanced gender representation and an average age of 64.5 years. All the co-researchers were residents of the study location and volunteered for the research. They were provided training in interview techniques and active listening, prior to the study. A total of three interviews and 23 photographs were analyzed and discussed in five focus group meetings. The participants agreed upon four types of unmet needs and developed proposals to increase their negotiating power, thereby mitigating barriers to their permanence. The co-researchers presented their proposals at two public meetings with decision-makers, managers, and members of the municipal council. The findings were a significant addition to the promotion of the co-research approach and the engagement of older adults in detecting the obstacles that hinder their secure and independent aging in their living environment.
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the BPI-Rural research grant: RP19-00058 [BPI-D-85437185]; CHAngeing – Connected Hubs in Ageing: Healthy Living to Protect Cerebrovascular Function” funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program (Excellence Hubs HORIZONWIDERA-2022-ACCESS-04-01) under grant agreement No. 101087071, and by national funds through the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., within the scope of the project [UIDB/04084/2020].
