International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Research

18 pages, 290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mobilising Cross-Sectoral Collaboration in Creating Age-Friendly Cities: Case Studies from Akita and Manchester

by Patty Doran, Sophie Yarker, Tine Buffel, Hisami Satake, Fumito Watanabe, Minoru Kimoto, Ayuto Kodama, Yu Kume, Keiko Suzuki, Sachiko Makabe and Hidetaka Ota

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(1), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22010073 - 8 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1058

Abstract

Developing Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCCs) is an increasingly popular policy response to supporting ageing populations. AFCC programmes rely on cross-sectoral collaboration, involving partnerships among diverse stakeholders working across sectors to address shared goals. However, there remains a limited understanding of what mechanisms [...] Read more.

Developing Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCCs) is an increasingly popular policy response to supporting ageing populations. AFCC programmes rely on cross-sectoral collaboration, involving partnerships among diverse stakeholders working across sectors to address shared goals. However, there remains a limited understanding of what mechanisms and strategies drive collaboration among diverse actors within age-friendly cities. To address this gap, this empirical paper draws on examples from a comparative case study across Akita (Japan) and Manchester (UK), two cities with distinct demographic profiles but both with a longstanding commitment to the age-friendly approach. Case studies were created through a range of data collection methods, namely, a review of secondary data sources, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, and fieldwork in each city. Key insights from the case studies relating to the mobilisation of cross-sectoral collaboration were categorised into three themes: leadership and influencing, co-production, and place-based working. These mechanisms are not mutually exclusive; collaboration building through co-production and place-based working is essential to deliver age-friendly programmes, but these mechanisms rely on leadership and influence. Therefore, it is recommended that all three mechanisms be used to effectively mobilise cross-sectoral collaborations to collectively create AFCC and support healthy ageing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

22 pages, 334 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Older Autistic People, Access and Experiences of Services, and the Factors That Affect This

by Marion Hersh, Panda Mery and Michael Dawson

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1535; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111535 - 19 Nov 2024

Viewed by 2077

Abstract

This paper presents new empirical data obtained from interviews and focus groups on older (50 and over) autistic people’s experiences of accessing a variety of services. The involvement of older autistic people and giving voice to their experiences was central to all aspects [...] Read more.

This paper presents new empirical data obtained from interviews and focus groups on older (50 and over) autistic people’s experiences of accessing a variety of services. The involvement of older autistic people and giving voice to their experiences was central to all aspects of the research process. This work makes a significant contribution to the scarce literature on older autistic people. In particular, it discusses the factors that act as barriers and enablers to the access to and productive use of services, the strategies used by participants to manage and improve their experiences, and the success of these strategies. It shows older autistic people as autonomous adults and active protagonists in their own lives, taking action to overcome the barriers they experience to accessing services on the same terms as everyone else, but that lack of understanding and support from service providers and the general public can undermine their strategies. Finally, this work provides a series of recommendations for service providers to improve (older) autistic people’s service access and experiences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

20 pages, 7559 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Ripple Framework: Co-Producing Social, Cultural, and Economic Value in Care Through a Generative and Relational Approach

by Luis Soares and Sarah Kettley

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1521; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111521 - 15 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 962

Abstract

Work has been undertaken in the healthcare sector to explore ways of co-producing design responses with different communities and organisations. However, we lack empirical analysis of how design thinking can help tackle complexity. To assist the Healthier Working Lives programme, we curated the [...] Read more.

Work has been undertaken in the healthcare sector to explore ways of co-producing design responses with different communities and organisations. However, we lack empirical analysis of how design thinking can help tackle complexity. To assist the Healthier Working Lives programme, we curated the Ripple Framework to develop trust and attempt to address the challenges of complexity in residential care. Through a generative design process, data were used to collaboratively define bespoke co-design pathways with 31 participants from six Scottish care providers over ten months. Thematic, content, and matrix analyses produced insights to inform vignettes illustrating how design responded to complex social care sector needs, with a particular focus on the fulfilment and flourishing of the care workforce. Drawing on our empirical material and using the Design Research Value Model, we illustrate how we have developed social, cultural, and economic value in care through co-design, enabling an opportunity to test the novel methodology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

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15 pages, 283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Production Within Academic Constraints: Insights from a Case Study

by Evelyn Callahan, Niamh Murtagh, Alison Pooley, Jenny Pannell and Alison Benzimra

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1503; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111503 - 13 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1162

Abstract

Co-production in research offers the potential for multiple benefits, including amplifying the voices of the marginalised, reducing power inequalities between academic researchers and co-researchers outside of academia, increased likelihood of impact, and improvement in the research process. But alongside increased interest in co-production, [...] Read more.

Co-production in research offers the potential for multiple benefits, including amplifying the voices of the marginalised, reducing power inequalities between academic researchers and co-researchers outside of academia, increased likelihood of impact, and improvement in the research process. But alongside increased interest in co-production, there is increased awareness of its contextual constraints. Key amongst these are institutional orthodoxies in academia, including time-limited, project-based research and precarious employment for junior researchers. To examine how the potential benefits of co-production can be achieved within the constraints of current academic systems, a case study project was assessed against a documented set of expectations for the co-production of research with older adults. The case study was a research project conducted with seven almshouse communities in England on the topic of social resilience. The wider almshouse communities—staff, trustees, and residents—were involved in co-production. The assessment concluded that co-production led to rich data and deep understanding. Co-production aided the development of skills and experiences of the co-researchers, resulted in changes in practice, and challenged power differentials, albeit in limited ways, but could not ensure the sustainability of relationships or impact. Key elements for effective co-production included the approach to and governance of the project, the formation of a Residents Advisory Group, and planning for the limited commitment that individuals and organisations outside of academia may be able to contribute to research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

16 pages, 320 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Living and Researching the COVID-19 Pandemic: Autoethnographic Reflections from a Co-Research Team of Older People and Academics

by Louise McCabe, Tamara Brown, Roy Anderson, Liz Chrystall, David Curry, Margot Fairclough, Christine Ritchie, Pat Scrutton, Ann Smith and Elaine Douglas

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(10), 1329; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21101329 - 8 Oct 2024

Viewed by 1391

Abstract

This article describes and reflects upon the work of a co-research team on the Healthy Ageing in Scotland (HAGIS) ‘COVID-19 Impact and Recovery’ study (January 2021 to November 2022). The co-research team (seven older adults and three academics) was constituted near the start [...] Read more.

This article describes and reflects upon the work of a co-research team on the Healthy Ageing in Scotland (HAGIS) ‘COVID-19 Impact and Recovery’ study (January 2021 to November 2022). The co-research team (seven older adults and three academics) was constituted near the start of this project; the team contributed to the development of recruitment materials and research tools and undertook qualitative research and analysis with older adults living across Scotland. This article provides a collaborative autoethnography about the activities undertaken by the team, the impact of the co-research process on the individuals involved, and the research findings and reflects the realities of co-research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Team members describe benefits, including increased confidence, new skills, and social connections, and reflect on the increased validity of the findings through their close involvement in the co-creation of knowledge. The process of team building and the adoption of an ‘ethics of care’ in our practice underpinned the success of this project and the sustainability of the group during and after the challenging circumstances of the pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

17 pages, 359 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Community Transport’s Dual Role as a Transport and a Social Scheme: Implications for Policy

by Léa Ravensbergen and Tim Schwanen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(4), 422; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040422 - 30 Mar 2024

Viewed by 2683

Abstract

Community transport comprises diverse local, not-for-profit, and primarily volunteer-run transport schemes that operate across the United Kingdom. These schemes support the travel needs of thousands of people, most of whom are older, live in rural areas, and have few other transport options. Further, [...] Read more.

Community transport comprises diverse local, not-for-profit, and primarily volunteer-run transport schemes that operate across the United Kingdom. These schemes support the travel needs of thousands of people, most of whom are older, live in rural areas, and have few other transport options. Further, this transport sector is unique in that most schemes are designed, created, and run by older people themselves. And yet, community transport has thus far received relatively little attention in both policy and research. Using semi-structured interviews with community transport providers in Oxfordshire, this paper proposes community transport as a practice guided by phronesis and argues that it has been made to hold a dual role as both a transport and a social scheme. The transport it provides is unique in being made low-cost, flexible, and functionally accessible. It has also been made into a social scheme as it helps those with few other options, provides benefits that extend beyond the transport realm, and fosters community. Though this dual role means that community transport has many cross-sectoral benefits, this type of service provision is found to be overlooked in both national and local policy, which has enabled the constitutive role of phronesis in community transport. Given this, there are challenges ahead for the sector in both ensuring its sustainability and maintaining its ability to respond closely to users’ needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

17 pages, 4212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Othering Older People’s Housing: Gaming Ageing to Support Future-Planning

by Vikki McCall, Alasdair C. Rutherford, Alison Bowes, Sadhana Jagannath, Mary Njoki, Martin Quirke, Catherine M. Pemble, Melanie Lovatt, Lisa Davison, Katie Maginn, Pat Scrutton, Ro Pengelly and Joan Gibson

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(3), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21030304 - 5 Mar 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4196

Abstract

The ‘othering’ of ageing is linked to an integrated process of ageism and hinders planning for the future for both individuals and practitioners delivering housing and health services. This paper aims to explore how creative interventions can help personalise, exchange knowledge and lead [...] Read more.

The ‘othering’ of ageing is linked to an integrated process of ageism and hinders planning for the future for both individuals and practitioners delivering housing and health services. This paper aims to explore how creative interventions can help personalise, exchange knowledge and lead to system changes that tackle the ‘othering’ of ageing. The Designing Homes for Healthy Cognitive Ageing (DesHCA) project offers new and creative insights through an innovative methodology utilising ‘serious games’ with a co-produced tool called ‘Our House’ that provides insights into how to deliver housing for older people for ageing well in place. In a series of playtests with over 128 people throughout the UK, the findings show that serious games allow interaction, integration and understanding of how ageing affects people professionally and personally. The empirical evidence highlights that the game mechanisms allowed for a more in-depth and nuanced consideration of ageing in a safe and creative environment. These interactions and discussions enable individuals to personalise and project insights to combat the ‘othering’ of ageing. However, the solutions are restrained as overcoming the consequences of ageism is a societal challenge with multilayered solutions. The paper concludes that serious gaming encourages people to think differently about the concept of healthy ageing—both physically and cognitively—with the consideration of scalable and creative solutions to prepare for ageing in place. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

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18 pages, 967 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical Models of Collaborative Partnerships in Arts-Health Care Practices for Older Adults

by Dohee Lee and Masood Masoodian

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(19), 6888; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20196888 - 6 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2380

Abstract

Although research investigating collaborative partnerships with older adults has been slow to develop, promoting user involvement and co-production is gaining interest in aging studies, with the aim of improving interactions between the different stakeholders involved, and toward the more effective delivery of care [...] Read more.

Although research investigating collaborative partnerships with older adults has been slow to develop, promoting user involvement and co-production is gaining interest in aging studies, with the aim of improving interactions between the different stakeholders involved, and toward the more effective delivery of care provisions and better community life for aging people. This is based on existing evidence that improved dynamics within collaborative and mutual learning processes can enhance the integration of new practices at different levels by generating novel creative approaches and practice frameworks for the delivery of quality care for older adults. This article presents the findings from a series of narrative interviews conducted with different stakeholders involved in arts-health practices in Finland and South Korea. Focusing on empirical perspectives of these stakeholders on arts-health practices—from planning to assessment—this study identifies vital components of co-producing and co-delivering arts-health practices for older adults and highlights the importance of utilizing their late-life creativity as active partners in such practices across cultural contexts. In addition to identifying three central stages of developing arts-health practices, two theocratical models are proposed to provide structural support for collaborative partnerships in arts-health practices, with the aim of promoting holistic care provisions for aging people through such practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rising to the Healthy Ageing Challenge: Co-production with Older People and Business)

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