Paper short abstract:

We provide evidence-based recommendations and good practices on how to increase the involvement of older people and civil society organizations in research. To do so, the SIforAGE brings together policy-makers, researches, politicians, and companies with the aim of bridging the existing gap between them.

Paper long abstract:

Since ageing permeates our everyday existence, it cannot be overlooked and seen as a personal issue, but has to be dealt with in broader terms taking into account a great variety of interconnecting forces and different disciplines. Even though there have been significant shifts towards the meanings of the process of growing old, we continue to observe many negative prejudices, in which ageing is seen as a social and economic problem, thus limiting older people to enter the so called 'active and healthy ageing' (AHA) phase. Although the ageing individuals are now portrayed as active and independent citizens who engage in social actions and healthy lifestyles, in reality the majority of them are underrepresented and even stigmatized. In this paper, we present the results of the work-package 3 under the framework of the SIforAGE Project (Social Innovation for Active and Healthy Ageing), entitled "What do we want from science and how we engage". By looking at the good practices examples, focus groups, and deliberative workshops that involve older persons, decision makers, and researchers through intergenerational interventions, this study has examined the participation of older people in public life and scientific research and detected the barriers as well as the opportunities that enable to reach the needs of the ageing population. The evidence-based recommendations on innovative methods are directed to scientists, civil society, public policy makers, companies, and experts at European and International levels with an aim to engage the older population in active and healthy ageing research.