Co-Partnering in a Virtual Photovoice Study Design with Older Adults:A Methodological Approach.

Abstract

Gerontology offers a range of participatory research options with more commonly used community participatory-based research (CPBR) or participatory action research (PAR) approaches. Photovoice's visual representation of lived experiences offers a unique opportunity for older adults to fully co-create research. This article describes the process of co-designing a virtual photovoice study with older adults. The design process is described in three phases: codesign during the initial study design, throughout the study and data-collection process, and during dissemination. In this methodological article, substantive findings from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved study where older adults created photos of the meaning of "home" through Zoom interviews are used to illustrate co-design in a virtual photovoice study. The process includes engagement with the Aging PCOR Learning Collaborative's Older Adult Subcommittee, Healthier Black Elders' Community Advisory Board, and older adults in the study. Work with advisory groups offered more dimensions to the study's planning, conduction, and dissemination, expanding the study's reach, inclusion, and framing. This collaboration created a greater exchange of dialogue and bidirectional flow of expression. The researcher became the subject, and older adults navigated study protocols. Older adults' increased self-reflection, spontaneous essays, and shared resources with the researcher expanded understanding. Older adults' revisions of this manuscript deepened content exploration. This article highlights the role of codesign throughout all a study's phases, where a researcher can work within the hyphen expanding connections with older adults. Their empowerment lets more complex, varied ideas develop.