PAAR-Net Symposia at IAGG 2026: Advancing Participatory Research with Older Adults

PAAR-Net is pleased to announce that two symposia developed within the network have been accepted for presentation at the 23rd World Congress of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG 2026) in Amsterdam. This is an important achievement for the Action, as it provides an international platform to showcase the collaborative work of PAAR-Net members and to further advance participatory approaches with older adults across research, policy, and practice.

As one of the major global events in the field of ageing and gerontology, IAGG offers a valuable opportunity for dialogue, exchange, and visibility. The acceptance of these two symposia highlights the strength of PAAR-Net’s transnational and interdisciplinary collaborations, as well as the growing relevance of participatory research in addressing key social, ethical, and methodological questions in later life. The accepted sessions focus on both the conceptual foundations of participatory research and its application in areas such as care, social innovation, and inequalities.

Symposium 1

Ethics and Methodologies of Participatory Research with Older Adults

Date: 5 July 2026

Time: 14:30–16:00

Location: Emerald Room & Lounge

Format: Hybrid session

Chairs:

Prof. Anna Urbaniak, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

Tamar Yellon, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

This symposium addresses the ethical, conceptual, and methodological foundations of participatory research with older adults. Participatory approaches have increasingly been recognised as transformative within ageing studies because they challenge traditional hierarchies in knowledge production and place older adults’ perspectives, agency, and lived experiences at the centre of the research process. At the same time, participatory practices remain diverse and fragmented, with different understandings of what participation means, how ethical quality should be assessed, and how co-research standards can be developed across settings.

The symposium brings together a set of contributions that examine these questions from complementary angles. It explores conceptual diversity in participatory work with older adults, ethical and quality standards in transnational contexts, the development of ethical criteria through Delphi methodology, reflexivity in participatory research processes, and practical tools for supporting the full and meaningful involvement of older adults.

Contributions

Participatory research with older adults: the example of Older Adult Co-creators

Annette Bilfeldt (Roskilde University, Denmark)

Claudio Bolzman (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Switzerland)

Quality and ethical standards in participatory research with older adults – a transnational perspective of older co-creators

Iveta Cirule (Project Net, Latvia)

Thibauld Moulaert (Université Grenoble Alpes, France)

Matthias Drilling (ZHAW School of Social Work, Switzerland)

Nilufer Korkmaz (Akdeniz University, Turkey)

Tamar Yellon (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)

Irena Zemaitaityte (Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania)

Ethical Quality Criteria for Older Adult Participatory Practice: A Delphi Study

Mehmet Korkmaz (Yozgat Bozok University, Turkey)

Antoine Langeard (Université de Caen Normandie, France)

İlknur Aydın Avci (Ondokuz Mayıs University, Turkey)

Jolanta Pivorienė (Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania)

Davide Lucantoni (Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy)

Tamar Yellon (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)

Rodrigo Serrat (University of Barcelona, Spain)

Gražina Rapolienė (Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Lithuania)

Ana Patricia Hilario (Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal)

Kübra Yenel (Manisa Celal Bayar University, Turkey)

Barbara Groot (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Participatory Research with Older Adults: Twisting the Reflexive Rubik’s Cube

Sandra Staudacher (University of Basel, Switzerland)

Nora Peduzzi (University of Basel, Switzerland)

Katja Jungo (University of Basel, Switzerland)

Thibauld Moulaert (Université Grenoble Alpes, France)

Anna Urbaniak (Jagiellonian University, Poland)

Carlo Fabian (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland)

Barbara Groot-Sluijs (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Heidi Kaspar (Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland)

Tools to support the full and meaningful involvement of older adults in participatory research

Isabelle Tournier (Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry, France)

Tereza Menšíková (Masaryk University, Czech Republic)

Sarah Campbell (Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom)

Diane Seddon (Bangor University, United Kingdom)

Symposium 2

Participation, Care, and Social Innovation Across Borders

Date: 6 July 2026

Time: 17:15–18:45

Location: G108

Type: Symposium

Chairs:

Prof. Anna Urbaniak, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

Annette Bilfeldt, Roskilde University, Denmark

Older adults’ lived experiences are profoundly shaped by migration, family change, and welfare systems. This symposium explores how participatory research can illuminate these complexities and contribute to more inclusive and responsive approaches in care and social innovation.

Bringing together contributions from diverse geographical and social contexts, the session examines co-creation, care transitions, transnational family dynamics, and sustainability in later life. Through participatory ethnography, co-production, and narrative-based research, it highlights both the agency of older adults and the structural inequalities they encounter.

Contributions

Co-creating with older adults: Social innovation and transnational knowledge exchange among creative actors in Portugal, UK and Denmark

John Andersen (Roskilde University, Denmark)

Annette Bilfeldt (Roskilde University, Denmark)

Sarah Campbell (Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom)

Mário Rui André (Lisbon City of All Ages, Portugal)

Arlind Reuter (Lund University, Sweden)

Michael Dorph Jensen (Municipality of Gladsaxe, Denmark)

Ageing in Place, Caring at a Distance: Lived Realities of Stay-Behind Parents

Ľubica Voľanská (Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia)

Soňa G. Lutherová (Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia)

Reclaiming Identity: Co-Production with Unpaid Carers During Carer Transitions

Maria Cheshire-Allen (Swansea University, United Kingdom)

Aelwyn Williams (Swansea University, United Kingdom)

Sustainability in later life: Insights from micro-stories of older people in Germany and Ireland

Grit Höppner (Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Germany)

Margaret Buckley (University College Cork, Ireland)

Together, these two symposia demonstrate the breadth and depth of PAAR-Net’s contributions to participatory research with older adults. From advancing ethical and methodological frameworks to addressing pressing social challenges such as care, inequality, and sustainability, PAAR-Net continues to foster collaborative, impactful, and inclusive research across Europe and beyond.