Researching with older people

Abstract

The multidimensionality of the aging process involves changes in different capacities. The age-friendly cities strategy addressed the need for adaptations in urban spaces that meets the demands of older people’s wellbeing. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore how Participative Mapping and World Café techniques could assist in identifying challenges to the delivery of services and resources to create communities that promote active aging, from the perspectives of older people and stakeholders. The techniques generated co-constructed discussion and shared understandings about the barriers residents face in negotiating and accessing services. Demands associated with the precariousness of local infrastructure, the absence of leisure activities, and a generalized feeling of insecurity in their neighborhoods were recurring themes. The demands led to the conclusion that for healthy aging, the interrelation of objective and subjective factors that take into