Tensions in intergenerational practice guidance: intergroup contact versus community development

Intergenerational practice (IP) is an approach within community health promotion which aims to bring older and younger community members together in collaborative activity. Little research has critically examined the assumptions and values within IP and their implications for these communities. A sample of 15 IP planning documents were analysed using a social constructionist thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke2006) guided by Prior’s (2008) concept of documents as active agents. Three tensions were identified: a community-led model versus a contact model; old and young as targets versus older people as targets; and process-focused versus out­come-focused evaluation. IP has relied on contact theory as a mechanism of change, which has rooted IP to an overly individualistic practice tar­geted at older people (rather than all ages). In contrast, the community-led ethos of IP was also evident alongside values of mutual benefit for old and young, and a desire for more process-focused evaluation

Singing in later life: the anatomy of a community choir

Previous research has highlighted the individual and social benefits of participation in arts activities for physical, psychological and social well-being. However, less is known about the transformative community aspects of the arts and very few studies have investigated arts participation over a substantial period. This article reports a case study of an older people’s choir over a 4-year period, involving interviews, focus groups, observations and a World Café participatory discussion. In support of previous literature, choir members highlighted many individual and interpersonal benefits of being part of the choir. They also emphasised the importance of developing social relationships within a supportive community, and the importance of musical achievement was central to the ongoing development of the choir. Our analysis identified five main themes: personal investment and reward; inclusive community; always evolving yet fundamentally unchanged; a desire to connect; and leadership and organisation. Considering these with reference to Seligman’s PERMA framework from positive psychology, it is apparent that social relationships, meaning and accomplishment are particularly emphasised as reasons why older people find singing in a community choir so beneficial for well-being. Sustainability is a major concern, and factors such as an expert music leader to support this are identified

Using PAR to promote social justice for older people and people with intellectual disabilities

Qualitative research methods and participatory action research (PAR) share many intrinsic and complementary qualities. We present two cases, one adopted a broader PAR approach, a health promotion project with men with intellectual disabilities, and the other used participatory methods within a longitudinal qualitative study exploring the benefits of community choir participation. We discuss the nature of the methods adopted and how they helped and hindered both research projects. We conclude that despite some common challenges, qualitative studies can benefit from drawing on PAR principles

Television advertisements create false memories for competitor brands

False memories can be created using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. This paradigm has been used to induce false memories for words, pictures and has been extended to induce false memories of brand names. We present the first experimental evidence that false memories can be created for competitor brands using television adverts. In the first experiment, participants saw sets of adverts for related products (e.g., types of chocolate), in the second, they watched a television programme interspersed with advertisements. False memories for related but non-presented brands occurred in both experiments. In the second experiment, in which participants were tested using a R(emember)/K(now)/G(uess) recognition task immediately and a week later, correct memory for presented brands decreased over time whilst false memories increased. The findings pose a challenge both for advertisers and for current theories of false memory particularly because the increase in false memory is in the detailed R(emember) responses

Why disadvantaged older adults engage in community consultation: a world café study

Community consultation is increasingly favoured as a means of ensuring that health services adequately meet population needs, yet research, has highlighted the frequency of inadequate and tokenistic consultation. Our aim was to address the gap in understanding of the mechanisms of successful community consultation by being the first study to examine consultation events for older adults in one of the most deprived local authority areas in the UK. A naturalistic world cafe was co-designed with a community engagement service. Adults aged 68-91 years (n = 103) participated in one of two world cafe discussions. Qualitative findings demonstrated the mechanisms behind and the added value of consultation with disadvantaged older adults. Forums were found to not only offer space within which opinions could be voiced, they also supported information gathering, the adoption of civic responsibilities and social activities. Understanding of the added value of consultation forums may incentivise service providers to facilitate more meaningful consultation and encourage scholars to examine think more critically about social mechanisms that promote active ageing