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Participatory Health Research with Older People in the Netherlands: Navigating Power Imbalances Towards Mutually Transforming Power

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Participatory Health Research

Abstract

Recently, policymakers intend to transform the welfare state to a ‘participation society’ in the Netherlands. This neo-liberal orientation is legitimized by the notion of ‘self-sufficiency’. Against this backdrop we sketch participatory health research (PHR) and its history, followed by the description of our own approach to PHR and principles of PHR encompassing three steps: (1) collecting experiences of the those whose life (or work) is the subject of the study as a starting point for mutual learning, (2) ongoing dialogue with different stakeholders which is strength-based and extending their horizons, and (3) collaborative action and monitoring outcomes. We focus on older people and historical/cultural differences between different generations which have implications for PHR and for addressing specific groups of older people. We present two examples: one concerning a group of older people in a residential setting and the other concerning a group of baby boomers in a WHO Age-Friendly City project.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all co-researchers and other stakeholders who participated in the initiatives. We would also like to thank our co-facilitators and colleagues Vivianne Baur, Elena Bendien and Maaike Muntinga.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department Medical Humanities, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam Public Health Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Barbara C. Groot & Tineke A. Abma

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  1. Barbara C. Groot
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  2. Tineke A. Abma
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Correspondence to Barbara C. Groot .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Health, Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, Germany

    Michael T. Wright

  2. School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Krystyna Kongats

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Groot, B.C., Abma, T.A. (2018). Participatory Health Research with Older People in the Netherlands: Navigating Power Imbalances Towards Mutually Transforming Power. In: Wright, M., Kongats, K. (eds) Participatory Health Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92177-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92177-8_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92177-8

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