Cost Action 22167

Testimonials

GP2 Testimonials

Nora Peduzzi, Grantee of Virtual Mobility

Thanks to the Virtual Mobility (VM) grant, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Barbara Groot-Sluijsmans, Thibauld Moulaert, Carlo Fabian, Anna Urbaniak, Heidi Kaspar, Katja Jungo and Sandra Staudacher in a series of regular online meetings. Our discussions focused on the theoretical dimension of participatory research with older adults and led to the development of the “Reflexive Rubik’s Cube” – a conceptual tool designed to critically think about participatory research practices. The final outcome of this collaboration will be an article that introduces the “Reflexive Rubik’s Cube” to a wider audience.

Read the testimonial

Alex Mitchell, Grantee of Virtual Mobility Grant

This Virtual Mobility Grant enabled me to bring together insights from across the PAAR-Net community into a coherent, future-facing resource that can be adapted and built upon as the network evolves. The opportunity to work with both the Older Adult Co-Creators Group and Working Group Leads was invaluable in shaping ideas that are both ambitious and realistic. What began as a strategy quickly evolved, thanks to stakeholder input, into a more flexible, useable Ideas Catalogue, offering a foundation for deeper co-creation and accountability.

Read the testimonial

Sehnaz Cenani, Grantee of Virtual Mobility Grant

The VM Grant was a great experience and a valuable resource for fostering inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration. With the support of this grant, I was able to work with researchers from different disciplines and countries, resulting in effective collaboration and the development of a review paper.

Read the testimonial

Sonay Caner-Yıldırım, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

I met 13 older adults, ages 63 to 87, each with a distinct digital life and strategy for staying safe online. Sitting with them at their kitchen tables taught me more than any lab session could. I saw how age, health, income, language, social life, and lived experience intersect to shape cybersecurity choices. The most unexpected lesson was also the most human.

Read the testimonial

Ieva Stončikaitė, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

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.

Read the testimonial

Heidi Kaspar, Grantee of Virtual Mobility

The grant allowed me to tackle organizational issues with public involvement and time to reflect on how to carefully working with contributions from older adults that allows for ‘deep integration’ – I’d like to call it ingraining – of experiential knowledge into research. I draw a two-fold conclusion: The tool works as a forceful prompt to not just collect and put aside contributions but to sit down and work with them, exploring what they mean to the endeavor and why they matter. Therefore, the tool reliably works as a ‘deceleration and give space to thinking machine’.

Read the testimonial

GP1 Testimonials

Ömer Kırmacı, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

My visit to STSM was hosted by Professor Florez-Revuelta at the Permanent University of Alicante (Spain), where we explored the challenges encountered by older adults in online learning environments and investigated potential solutions supported by artificial intelligence. A meeting was also convened with the dean of the Permanent University of Alicante, during which we obtained information regarding the operational processes of universities designed for older adults.

Read the testimonial

Willeke van Staalduinen, Grantee of Virtual Mobility Grant

One of the aims of PAAR-Net is to actively include stakeholders in the work and deliverables of the Action. We started to identify relevant stakeholders and by involving them in Knowledge Exchange Events. There was a further need to systemise the opinions of stakeholders, such as policymakers, ICT designers, care providers and educators on their involvement in PAAR and PAAR-Net and what they would need from the scientific community to apply participatory approaches successfully.

Read the testimonial

Rodrigo Serrat, Grantee of Virtual Mobility Grant

I received a Virtual Mobility (VM) grant to develop a protocol for a scoping review examining the ethical aspects described in the scientific literature on participatory research approaches involving older adults. As participatory methods gain increasing prominence in ageing research, it is essential to ensure that these approaches are implemented in ethically sound ways.

Read the testimonial

Davide Lucantoni, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

The aim of my STSM experience “Learning by Doing a Scoping Review on Participatory Interventions for Promoting Healthy Cognitive Aging” was both to progress from theoretical methodological guidance to hands-on experience in performing scoping reviews, and to deepen knowledge with respect to the meaningful involvement of older adults in participatory research on healthy cognitive ageing. This, by also holding meetings with other researchers, delivering presentations and disseminating information about the PAAR-net activities.

Read the testimonial

Aleksandar Petrovski, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

During the STSM the aim was to fulfil the aims and objectives of the research, to exchange knowledge with peer colleagues in the research domain and to discuss ideas for future projects. All research activities were carried out according to the plan and findings are intended to be published in a journal with impact factor.

Read the testimonial

Isabelle Tournier, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

My three-week research visit to Manchester Metropolitan University, hosted by Sarah Campbell, aimed to explore innovative tools and methods that can strengthen the participation of older adults in research. Particular attention was given to groups often excluded because of physical, psychological, or cognitive challenges. I engaged with key stakeholders, researchers, and co-researchers to exchange expertise, discover existing toolkits, and learn more about creative and art-based methods.

Read the testimonial

Anna Urbaniak, Grantee of Dissmination Grant

Through the support of a Dissemination Conference Grant, I was able to present the collective work of PAAR-Net at the International Sociological Forum, held in July 2025 in Rabat, Morocco. This included showcasing the role of participatory methods in ageing research across Europe and beyond. The conference also provided an opportunity to engage with a global community of sociologists, exchange ideas, and explore new avenues for collaboration, particularly with researchers and practitioners working in African and Middle Eastern contexts.

Read the testimonial

Ute Karl, Grantee of a YRI Conference Grant

The grant facilitated the participation at the European Conference for Social Work Research with the overall subject Embracing Democracy in Social Work Practice and Research at the Katholische Stiftungshochschule in Munich in March 2025. Together with Dr. Marion Scheider-Yilmaz, researcher at the PACTE Laboratory, University of Grenoble Alpes and leader of Working Group 2 “Community and Place”, and Dr. Anne Carolina Ramos, from the University of Fribourg, also in WG 2, we conducted an interdisciplinary and international workshop titled The Role of Participatory Approaches in Strengthening Democracy for Older Adults.

Read the testimonial

Katarzyna Królik-Atilla, Grantee of Virtual Mobility Grant

As Grant Holder Manager of PAAR-net (CA22167), I applied for a Virtual Mobility Grant to address a growing and critical need within the network. PAAR-net focuses on participatory approaches with older adults, a group central to the Action’s objectives. In my role, I work closely with Working Group co-leaders, Older Co-Creators, and network members, which allowed me to focus in detail on the specific challenges faced by older adults in participating and using digital tools while creating guides and support resources.

Read the testimonial

Fiona Schrading, Grantee of Dissemination Conference Grant

At the SIEF Congress in Aberdeen, I presented a paper titles “Rewriting Futures: Re-storying intergenerational Relations in Places of Abandonment”, as part of the panel “Unwriting ageism through participatory approaches to research, policy-making and practice intervention designs”. Drawing on the research project “Waste/Land/Futures: Intergenerational relations in places of abandonment and renewal across Europe”, my presentation discussed participatory methods for co-creating new narratives of the future together with older people living in places in which current global changes have left a sense of abandonment and uncertainty about the future.

Read the testimonial

Günay Yıldızer, Grantee of ITC Conference Grant

At the NASPSPA 2025 Annual Conference, I presented my oral presentation titled “Breaking Barriers: Insights into Physical Activity Participation Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Through the Theory of Planned Behavior and Participatory Approaches.” This study highlighted the importance of integrating participatory research methodologies with established behavioral theories to better understand and address the barriers that older adults face in maintaining regular physical activity.

Read the testimonial

Mirza Emirhafizović, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

Thanks to the excellent support of my host, Eva Grigoriadou (URBANA, Athens), the STSM was successfully carried out as planned. URBANA’s experience in community-based initiatives—such as the project Athens: A City for All Ages, implemented in the diverse neighbourhood of Kypseli—provided valuable insight into participatory work with older adults.
Read the testimonial

Arlind Reuter, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

As part of an event organised during the STSM by our host, Professor Eleanor Bantry White, we had many interesting conversations with other researchers in Ireland, older collaborators, and community organisations. Inspired by these talks, we started a literature review that examines the discourses of technologies and participatory approaches in later life.

Read the testimonial

Sonay Caner-Yıldırım, Grantee of Inclusiveness Target Countries Conference

At the Socio-Gerontechnology Network (SGN) 2024 Annual Meeting in Vienna, I presented my poster titled “Tech Mentoring to an Older Adult in an Extraordinary Condition: A Participatory Research Approach.” This study highlights the transformative potential of tailored technology mentoring in extraordinary circumstances, such as post-disaster recovery. The event provided me with a fantastic opportunity to meet both early-career and senior researchers in socio-gerontechnology. The conference not only enhanced my professional visibility but also deepened my resolve to continue contributing to PAAR teams and collaborative efforts in this impactful research domain.

Read the testimonial

Seran Demiral, Grantee of Short Term Scientific Mission

During my STSM experience, “Building Intergenerational Networks within Civil Society,” I aimed to foster collaboration between practitioners and researchers. Engaging with social workers and organizations, I explored the ageing experiences of immigrant communities and the varying needs of different generations in the context of digitalization and multicultural environments. Moving forward, I plan to conduct ethnographic research on first-generation Turkish immigrants in Frankfurt or continue exploring womanhood and girlhood experiences through participatory approaches, inspired by initial interviews from the STSM. Read the testimonial

Marion Scheider-Yilmaz, Grantee of Virtual Mobility

The grant facilitated an interdisciplinary and international collaboration with researchers Marion met through her involvement in Working Group 2 “Community and Place” of the PAAR-net COST Action. Drawing on their respective research, the team developed an innovative method to engage attendees in meaningful discussions during the workshop. The workshop has been accepted at the prestigious European Conference for Social Work Research (ECSWR), reflecting PAAR-net’s commitment to advancing knowledge in participatory approaches. Read the testimonial

Ittay Mannheim, Grantee of Virtual Mobility

This VMG facilitated the work on a scoping review of reviews on Participatory approaches with older adults in technology and innovation research. The VMG allowed me to take more initiative in the collaboration and motivated me to continue working on this project. In Doing so, together with many other members of our working group, we were able to advance this timely scoping review, and we are currently in advanced phases of analysing selected papers and hope to publish this soon. I would encourage others as well to take advantage of this fantastic grant opportunity to motivate and facilitate such research exchanges. Read the testimonial

Anna Wanka, Grantee of Virtual Mobility

Receiving the PAAR-Net Virtual Mobility (VM) enabled me to develop a methodological companion to support practitioners in adopting participatory methods when working with socially excluded older adults. This guide, titled “Empowering Voices and Experiences of Socially Excluded Older Adults – A Participatory Research Companion”, shall equip professionals with practical tools, strategies, and insights aimed at fostering inclusive environments and enabling active participation for older marginalized individuals, such as those experiencing homelessness, isolation, or ageism. The companion will be made available at: https://www.cost.eu/about/strategy/open-access/

Read the testimonial