Woolrych, R. orcid.org/0000-0002-4310-8455, Sixsmith, J., Fisher, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-9179-3485 et al. (3 more authors) (2021) Constructing and negotiating social participation in old age: experiences of older adults living in urban environments in the United Kingdom. Ageing and Society, 41 (6). pp. 1398-1420. ISSN 0144-686X
Abstract
The age-friendly cities and communities movement has focused on how to better support older adults to age well within urban environments. Central to ‘ageing well’ and ‘active ageing’ agendas is ensuring that older adults can participate in meaningful forms of social participation. The benefits of social participation in old age have been well documented, and research amongst community-dwelling older adults has explored some of the neighbourhood qualities that facilitate or impede such forms of engagement. However, understandings of how older adults construct and negotiate social participation within everyday urban environments have been largely unexplored. To address this gap, we present results from 104 interviews conducted with older adults living in three cities and nine neighbourhoods in the United Kingdom (UK). The findings explore three themes generated from the research: ‘constructing meaningful social participation in old age’, ‘negotiating access to social participation’ and ‘navigating home and community’. Across these themes, the paper describes how experiences of social participation in old age involve a number of inter-connected physical, psychological and social processes experienced by individuals across a range of environmental settings including the home, outdoor spaces and community facilities. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for practice, specifically in the delivery of age-friendly communities.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Cambridge University Press. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Ageing & Society. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | social participation; age-friendly communities; neighbourhood; older people |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Education (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Economic and Social Research Council ES/R00692X/1 Economic and Social Research Council ES/N013220/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 07 Mar 2024 16:08 |
Last Modified: | 07 Mar 2024 16:08 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/s0144686x19001569 |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:210028 |