Participatory Approaches with Older Adults

Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences is a Member of the International PAAR-Net Project.
We are proud to be part of PAAR-Net: Participatory Approaches with Older Adults, an international research network supported by COST Action (CA22167) and coordinated by Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

PAAR-Net is dedicated to rethinking how older adults are involved in research, policymaking, and practice. The project promotes a vision of science that is inclusive, collaborative, and people-centered—science for the people, by the people.

By encouraging participatory approaches with older adults, PAAR-Net aims to make ageing societies more fair, inclusive, and sustainable. Involving older adults directly helps ensure that policies, research, and services reflect their real needs, experiences, and hopes. This leads to more effective outcomes and promotes social justice and equity for older adults across different cultures and countries.

The main goal of PAAR-Net is to close the gap between academic research and real-world policymaking by promoting co-produced knowledge with older adults. The network led by dr hab. Anna Urbaniak from Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Action Chair) and dr Anna Wanka from the University of Vienna (Action Vice Chair) includes over 400 researchers from more than 40 countries, working together to:
* Host international events, including training schools and knowledge exchange meetings;
* Support short-term scientific visits;
* Award grants for independent research and conference participation;
* Produce scientific publications, policy briefs, and materials co-created with older adults.

PAAR-Net’s work is organised into four key focus areas:
1. Health, Care & Support;
2. Community & Place;
3. Technology & Innovation;
4.Synthesis & Quality Standards for Participatory Research.

The initiative also includes a Young Researchers and Innovators Forum and an Older Co-Creators Group, ensuring strong involvement from both emerging scholars and older adults themselves.
Researchers, practitioners, and professionals with relevant expertise are welcome to join PAAR-Net. If your work relates to participatory approaches and any of the project’s focus areas, we encourage you to get involved.

For more details and to learn how to join, visit the official project website: https://paar-net.eu/