European Consortium of Social and Systematic Research on Positive Ageing

With an ever increasing number of older adults in society, it is imperative we look for ways to promote positive ageing and better quality of life for older adults. More specifically, we aim to establish positive ageing as a more well-defined concept based on sociocultural and personal meaning associated, which we believe would lead to a more holistic and meaningful understanding than the biomedical explanations. We thus approach the topic of positive ageing with the view that it refers to maintaining a positive attitude, feeling good and keeping fit and healthy in old age. This is especially important given the continuing impact of COVID-19 on older adults and the unique challenges- social (socio-political), economic and health-related- it poses them. We ask for the Foundation’s support in establishing the European Consortium of Social and Systematic Research on Ageing and towards our team’s joint collaborative investigation and discussion on positive ageing. More specifically, the grant will help facilitate building of our consortium in its initial stage, promote a more active discussion and local research on systematic factors relating to ageing (including contextual factors as well as policies and societal perceptions) specific to each of the countries/hubs of our consortium, and some initial exploratory studies that will lead to preliminary data on conceptions and experience of positive ageing for older adults. This will be achieved via a workshop, establishment of an online platform on which to share and collaborate on specific projects and gathering preliminary data. The meetings will facilitate cross-cultural collaborative research by allowing members to consolidate research ideas and operationalise them internationally across multiple institutions. This increased capacity for cross-cultural research will enable the consortium to bid for further funding on large scale cross-cultural investigations aimed at improving quality of life for older adults.