Ieva Stončikaitė

I have been awarded two grants: a Dissemination Conference Grant (DCG) and a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) to carry out a study on aphasia pathographies (autobiographies and biographies written by relatives) as a form of co-participation in ageing research (with my colleague Dr. Katharina Fürholzer). The initial findings were presented at the ENAS and NANAS Conference (Panel 3: Intergenerational Relationships and Methodology), held from April 9–11, 2025 in Lleida, Spain. In this presentation, entiled “Aphasia Pathographies As a Form of  Sociocultural Participation In Ageing Research,” I highlighted the significance of integrating narrative and humanities-based approaches into the study of ageing, well-being, and co-participatory research. The aim was to foster a more holistic understanding of the lived experiences of older adults with aphasia, particularly those at risk of social exclusion. During the STSM (August 2025), I continued exploring aphasia pathographies with my colleague, Dr. Katharina Fürholzer. The main outcome of the STSM is an article currently under review at The Gerontologist.

Participation in the conference in Lleida provided a valuable opportunity to enhance the visibility of our work and that of PAAR-net, as well as to receive constructive feedback through enriching discussions with researchers. I had particularly fruitful conversations with Professor Elizabeth Barry (University of Warwick, UK), who also introduced me to the work of Professor Chris Code (University of Exeter, UK), whose research focuses on the psychosocial impact of aphasia and international public awareness of this condition, making it highly relevant for future collaborations within the framework of PAAR-net’s mission. The STSM was an excellent opportunity to work face-to-face with Katharina Fürholzer to further refine our research. Our study on aphasia contributes to the activities of WG1, coordinated by Dr. Tereza Menšíková and Dr. Diane Seddon. It also supports PAAR-net’s overall goals and deliverables by broadening the focus on co-participation from a humanities-based perspective, which remains underrepresented within the Network. The STSM also provided us with dedicated time to deepen our collaboration and to define the future directions of our work, which will focus on dementia narratives and memory in relation to co-participation of older adults.