Participation in the Community Among Seniors

Deltaking i lokalsamfunnet kan førebyggje einsemd og fremje helse blant eldre. Prosjektet legg vekt på samskaping ved å identifisere utfordringar og planlegge saman for eit aldersvennleg samfunn.

Studies and government reports show a lack of knowledge about how services can promote participation among seniors in the population [1,2]. A scoping review of activity initiatives indicates that more research is needed on community participation among seniors [3]. Furthermore, it is important to have a variety of inclusive arenas in the community. Engagement in society is known to be crucial to the health and well-being. There is increasing interest in age-friendly societies in various countries, but more research is needed on co-creation to implement effective initiatives [1]. An increasing number of seniors experience a lack of services, and the available options do not align with their wishes and needs [2]. This highlights the importance of gaining more knowledge about factors aimed at public health services [2]. More efforts are needed within the local community to increase information and improve the quality of the services provided.

The number of seniors is expected to increase in the future. The Public Health Report highlights key focus areas for an age-friendly society [2]. It is important to have the knowledge to enhance conditions for participation in the local community. The project aims to assess how various municipalities, and voluntary organizations engage in preventive and health-promoting activities by analyzing how they meet senior residents’ wishes and needs. Furthermore, the project seeks to interview seniors living at home to emphasize their experiences with public health services in the municipality and identify factors that contribute to participation. Finally, dialogue meetings will be conducted. Thus, the project emphasizes co-creation by identifying challenges, sharing experiences, choosing solutions, and planning together.

To promote participation in the local community among seniors, it is important to have inclusive and diverse arenas. By utilizing co-creation processes, the project will focus on collaborative planning for an age-friendly society involving municipalities, other relevant stakeholders and seniors themselves. Through the research project, we aim to contribute to the development of communities that facilitate participation among seniors.

1. Svart, K. & Oh, P. (2023). Exploring Sectoral Reach in Age-Friendly Communities. Gerontologist.
2. Ministry of Health and Care Services. Folkehelsemeldinga—Nasjonal Strategi for Utjamning av Sosiale Helseforskjellar [The Public Health Report—National Strategy for Reducing Social Health Inequalities]; Meld. St. 15, 2022–2023; Kingdom of Norway.
3. Taylor, J. et.al. (2021). A scoping review of physical activity interventions for older adults. National Library of Medicine. doi: 10.1186/s12966-021-01140-9.