The recording of the third webinar in the PAAR-Net Working Group 2 webinar series, Meaningful Participation and Voice: When Does Older Adults’ Participation Become a Democratic Action?, is now available.
In this webinar, Dr. Maria Cheshire Allen (Swansea University) examined how unpaid carers contribute to long-term care systems while often remaining excluded from the democratic processes that shape care policy and practice.
Drawing on research from Wales and the Basque Country, the presentation introduced the concept of democratic vulnerability and explored how unpaid care is recognised, valued, and represented within long-term care systems.
Key topics discussed included:
- unpaid care as a civic contribution;
- carers’ experiential knowledge and epistemic justice;
- participation and democratic recognition;
- co-production in ageing and care research; and
- the importance of recognising unpaid carers as active contributors to more inclusive and sustainable care systems.
The webinar concluded with an engaging discussion on how participatory approaches can strengthen democratic recognition of unpaid carers and contribute to more inclusive long-term care policies.
We sincerely thank Dr. Maria Cheshire Allen, Marion Scheider, and everyone who participated in this inspiring webinar.