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On the track of evaluated programmes targeting the social participation of seniors: a typology proposal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2012

ÉMILIE RAYMOND ,
ANDRÉE SÉVIGNY ,
ANDRÉ TOURIGNY ,
ALINE VÉZINA ,
RENÉ VERREAULT  and
ALEXIS C. GUILBERT
ÉMILIE RAYMOND*
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal, Canada. Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec City, Canada.
ANDRÉE SÉVIGNY
Affiliation:
Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada. Centre de recherche FRSQ du CHA et Centre d'excellence sur le vieillissement de Québec (CEVQ), Hôpital du St-Sacrement, Québec City, Canada.
ANDRÉ TOURIGNY
Affiliation:
Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec City, Canada. Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada. Centre de recherche FRSQ du CHA et Centre d'excellence sur le vieillissement de Québec (CEVQ), Hôpital du St-Sacrement, Québec City, Canada.
ALINE VÉZINA
Affiliation:
École de service social, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada. Faculté des sciences sociales, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada.
RENÉ VERREAULT
Affiliation:
Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada. Centre de recherche FRSQ du CHA et Centre d'excellence sur le vieillissement de Québec (CEVQ), Hôpital du St-Sacrement, Québec City, Canada. Institut sur le vieillissement et la participation sociale des aînés de l'Université Laval, Québec City, Canada.
ALEXIS C. GUILBERT
Affiliation:
Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec City, Canada. Faculté des sciences de l'éducation, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada.
*
Address for correspondence: Émilie Raymond, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 2400, boul. d'Estimauville, QuébecCanadaG1E 7G92. E-mail: Emilie.raymond@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
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Abstract

Nowadays, the social participation of seniors represents a central challenge for both individuals and collectivities. The participative perspective is indeed present in most of the contemporary discourses on ageing, and is viewed both as a way to manage the current demographic juncture and as a promising direction for enhancing seniors’ wellbeing and achievements. This article examines 32 programmes aimed at fostering the social participation of seniors that were both implemented and evaluated, and whose results were published between January 1970 and August 2011. Based on each programme's approach, a typology of social programmes is proposed. The programmes are grouped in five categories, ranging from programmes offering an individualised approach to socio-political programmes. Classification is based on the various ways the concept of social participation is defined and acted upon by the reviewed programmes. Far from being neutral, each category suggests a specific representation of the social roles of seniors. In addition, the paper discusses how the proposed typology can guide both policy and practice, linking identity and agency issues to organisational and structural considerations. Three uses for the typology are suggested: as a policy-making support, as an evaluative framework, and as an experimental space for community practice.

Keywords

social participationsocial programmestypology
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , February 2013 , pp. 267 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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