Engaging older people through visual participatory research: Insights and reflections

Abstract

Although there is an ageing population in Europe which acts as an increasingly influential social and economic force there remains limited scholarship concerning the involvement of older people in research. This paper responds to the question of how visual participatory research engages older people through three illustrative case studies, set in England and Italy, all of which incorporated different visual elements within their participatory design. These cases highlight; the value of the visual as a trigger for memories as an entry point for research discussions, that the sharing of experiences is facilitated by both the participatory and visual elements of the approach, and that greater engagement is forthcoming once trust is established through the socialisation of older research participants. Reflections and good practice suggestions are offered to other qualitative researchers on the practicalities of adopting this approach.