Abstract
Ageing is a critical global issue due to longer lifespans and the evolving needs and abilities of older adults, particularly in the context of technological advancements and digitalisation. The need to include older people in digitisation processes is particularly acute in the European context, where ageing populations have become prevalent in developed and developing countries alike. PAAR-net COST Action (CA22167) aims to:
→ Create an age-inclusive environment, enabling citizens to act as agents of their own lives and social surroundings,
→ Address the diverse needs, abilities, and expectations shaped by socioeconomic backgrounds, gender, culture, and language through participatory approaches (encouraging older adults to choose to become agents of social change and ensuring that their voices are heard),
→ Conceptualize the intersection of technology, innovation, and participatory approaches with older adults. The Working Group 3 (WG3) within PAAR-net focuses on addressing these issues and advancing understanding in this area,
→ Highlight current topics in increasingly digitalising societies, focusing on definitions of technologies and innovation and exploring the intersecting experiences of digital and social exclusion that older adults are likely to face, as well as the concept of the silver economy, emphasising its relevance in researching ageing and societal change while recognising the memorandum of understanding of PAAR-net and understanding the necessity of implementing participatory approaches from the design of research or innovation to the project process and outcomes.
In this context, we propose narratives of technology and innovation as solutions to the perceived problem of ageing and the “digital ageism” concept as one of the main challenges for our working group. We then respond to these challenges using a strategic approach to work with the older population on technology and innovation, called “WG3’s techno-innovative approach to older people’s challenges”. The WG3 approach enhances older adults’ social inclusion through participatory approaches. Rather than relying on a solutionist or researcher-centred perspective. We propose using participatory approaches to develop strategies that addresses the challenges older people face as a result of technological advances and rapid digital changes in the world. We focus on a citizen-science approach, including older people as co-creators of scientific knowledge and practical outcomes. The WG3 approach opens discussions on the potential of participatory approaches in technology and innovation across health, care, mobility, energy, community participation and action, environment, food, information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, and smart technologies fields, emphasising the diversity within older populations through a multidisciplinary and international lens. That also covers the methodological challenges and issues arising from the lack of complete and meaningful participation of older adults in various country settings and the objective to provide a future outlook for more comprehensive and efficient research and practice in these areas.
To share diverse experiences with those approaches, we concentrate on examples where older adults become active co-creators in different country settings (experiences provided by WG3 members from over ten countries). That highlights the importance of participatory approaches, including the products, tools, materials, and processes used in co-creation as distinct aspects of technology and innovation.
We recognise the significance of engaging older adults in new social products and meaningful encounters design and innovation, including non-digital innovations and everyday objects integration into societal environments. Sharing insights and experiences from case studies and multinational research projects allows us to discuss the challenges and opportunities of participatory approaches with older adults in technology and innovation, ultimately pointing out future directions for co-creating our collective future.
→ Create an age-inclusive environment, enabling citizens to act as agents of their own lives and social surroundings,
→ Address the diverse needs, abilities, and expectations shaped by socioeconomic backgrounds, gender, culture, and language through participatory approaches (encouraging older adults to choose to become agents of social change and ensuring that their voices are heard),
→ Conceptualize the intersection of technology, innovation, and participatory approaches with older adults. The Working Group 3 (WG3) within PAAR-net focuses on addressing these issues and advancing understanding in this area,
→ Highlight current topics in increasingly digitalising societies, focusing on definitions of technologies and innovation and exploring the intersecting experiences of digital and social exclusion that older adults are likely to face, as well as the concept of the silver economy, emphasising its relevance in researching ageing and societal change while recognising the memorandum of understanding of PAAR-net and understanding the necessity of implementing participatory approaches from the design of research or innovation to the project process and outcomes.
In this context, we propose narratives of technology and innovation as solutions to the perceived problem of ageing and the “digital ageism” concept as one of the main challenges for our working group. We then respond to these challenges using a strategic approach to work with the older population on technology and innovation, called “WG3’s techno-innovative approach to older people’s challenges”. The WG3 approach enhances older adults’ social inclusion through participatory approaches. Rather than relying on a solutionist or researcher-centred perspective. We propose using participatory approaches to develop strategies that addresses the challenges older people face as a result of technological advances and rapid digital changes in the world. We focus on a citizen-science approach, including older people as co-creators of scientific knowledge and practical outcomes. The WG3 approach opens discussions on the potential of participatory approaches in technology and innovation across health, care, mobility, energy, community participation and action, environment, food, information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, and smart technologies fields, emphasising the diversity within older populations through a multidisciplinary and international lens. That also covers the methodological challenges and issues arising from the lack of complete and meaningful participation of older adults in various country settings and the objective to provide a future outlook for more comprehensive and efficient research and practice in these areas.
To share diverse experiences with those approaches, we concentrate on examples where older adults become active co-creators in different country settings (experiences provided by WG3 members from over ten countries). That highlights the importance of participatory approaches, including the products, tools, materials, and processes used in co-creation as distinct aspects of technology and innovation.
We recognise the significance of engaging older adults in new social products and meaningful encounters design and innovation, including non-digital innovations and everyday objects integration into societal environments. Sharing insights and experiences from case studies and multinational research projects allows us to discuss the challenges and opportunities of participatory approaches with older adults in technology and innovation, ultimately pointing out future directions for co-creating our collective future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | COST Action CA 22167 |
| Number of pages | 89 |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
