Leader: Laura Formenti (UNIMIB)
Other collaborators: all the researchers involved in WP5
UNIMIB has two different subtasks:
Methods: Co-operative inquiry cycles with: A) professionals (doctors, nurses, social workers etc.); B) users, families, volunteers, family care workers; C) local administrators, coordinators, decision makers. In-depth interviews with insiders to gather meaningful stories for the cycles and further analysis.
The study will implement 5 steps/actions:
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
Task 5.1.1. All the WP researchers participated in a meta-narrative literature review on “Transitions in ageing” in four disciplinary fields: Gerontology, Economics & Management, Sociology, and Education, to identify and compare storylines of transition in different fields.
The methodological framework has been co-constructed within the WP and shared with local stakeholders in 3 Regions; territories for fieldwork are Piacenza and province, Chieri and Carmagnola (TO), Liveri (NA); target population and stakeholders have been also jointly established. Interviews with older adults and their helpers have been co-constructed to answer different research questions, and then tested with voluntary subjects. Fieldwork started in June 2024 and is ongoing.
Dissemination and training:
Task 5.1.2. Literature review on complexity in aging and learning presented at a conference (ELLL2023 - EDUCATING AND LEARNING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN, Tallin, 8-10 nov. 2023). A position paper on ageing as a systemic educational process, presented for publication on the European Journal for the Education and Learning of Adults. Interviews for the Board LEAA are also ongoing.
Main policy, industrial, and scientific implications
About the overall WP (task 5.1.1). The relationship with local administrators, health system, and professionals is very promising. We expect to reinforce our partnership during the fieldwork phase, aiming at developing more awareness, knowledge, and best practices for active ageing, participation, and personalization of care. The dissemination and communication events that we have organized have been very appreciated and will be replied in the future, as sources of interdisciplinary knowledge. The metanarrative literature review will bring to recommendations for policy makers and practitioners. About Task 5.1.2. We expect to enchance knowledge and learning about active ageing and lifelong learning of older adults; we are also collaborating with the Board LEAA on a research about good practices.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
Fieldwork has started with the identification of 6 geographic areas (2 municipalities in Piacenza’s province, 2 in Torino’s province, and 2 in Naples’ province) where territory-based research could be implemented. Meetings with local stakeholders have built a strong partnership and a shared strategy to identify the participants, recruit them, and organize the presence of researchers in the area.
The first study started in Piacenza’s province (inner areas, municipalities of Morfasso and Vernasca). It was strongly endorsed by the AUSL representatives, who, through a previous project, had already created a database containing information about the health and social profiles of older adults (aged 75 and more) in the area. They provided a list of 293 candidates, which made it possible to build a stratified sample. The local community nurses contacted the participants, presented the project and informed consent material, and motivated them.
In Piedmont, after several promising meetings with local administrators, managers and professionals of the health system, and third-sector organizations in Chieri and Carmagnola, accessing the field became impossible due to severe problems both in the AUSL and in the municipalities after the political elections. So, new steps were taken to identify a different geographic area.
In Campania, two small municipalities (Liveri and Terzigno) were identified in the sub-Vesuvian area; here, the contact was guaranteed by local administrations that provided the list of prospective participants.
At the end of June, the phase of interviewing older adults started, with the aim to explore their experiences, needs, networks of support, and use of welfare services and technology.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
The main implication of this phase is the construction of strong relationships with the local community. The research is territory-based, with quasi-ethnographic aspects: knowing the dynamics of the local community, and being recognized by relevant stakeholders, is not only useful to facilitate access to the field but has political and scientific implications. The informal and formal meetings with local decision-makers and administrators and the negotiation of the project’s meaning, strategies, procedures, and ethical aspects were very important to guarantee that all its phases have a real possibility of success. The problematic relationship with Chieri and Carmagnola illuminates how complex is accessing the field for this kind of study, notwithstanding the enthusiasm of our interlocutors.
The interdisciplinary meta-narrative literature review on “transitions in ageing” was concluded. To overcome problems related to publication, it will bring separated papers and conference presentations in the first phase (by each research subgroup) and a shared interdisciplinary paper by the end of the year.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
The first phase of field research (interviews with Older Adults) has been conducted and is almost finished in 2/3 geographic areas. In Morfasso and Vernasca (Piacenza’s province), the local health authority (AUSL) contacted 60 individuals; 53 expressed their willingness to participate (16 from Morfasso; 37 from Vernasca). During the recall phase, 12 individuals withdrew. Despite these withdrawals, we successfully conducted 36 interviews (68% of the initially available participants): 13 in Morfasso and 23 in Vernasca. Finally, 2 interviews were excluded from the Vernasca group, while no exclusions occurred in Morfasso. The interviews have been transcribed literally.
In the sub-Vesuvian area, 30 interviews have been conducted and transcribed in Liveri and Terzigno.
A new geographic area has been identified in Val di Susa (Piedmont): the local authorities of two municipalities, Mattie and Meana di Susa, expressed great interest in the study and helped to identify prospective participants. Across all territories, the chosen two towns have considerable differences, notwithstanding their geographical proximity. This is a favorable circumstance for the research question, based on the specific features of local territories and communities. Interviews were finalised in Piacenza and Naples while still ongoing in the province of Turin, with 30 potential participants to date.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
The presence of researchers in the territories during this phase was very relevant both in making the project more visible to the local population and in affording a better knowledge of the territory, its resources, features, limits, and possibilities. Qualitative data beyond the interviews were gathered. New relevant stakeholders were identified (e.g. the pharmacist, the priest, a bartender, etc.). Better knowledge of the dynamics in the local community will be useful in the next phase of fieldwork, i.e. cooperative inquiry.
Informal and formal meetings have been conducted in the new area to build a strong relationship with local decision-makers and administrators.
On the 25/26 September 2024, the WP leader, prof. Laura Formenti, has brought significant knowledge on the political and practical impact of local networks on the well-being of older people during the conference «Accompagnare la longevità. Buone Pratiche Educative e Formative per l’invecchiamento attivo» organized by the University of Florence by the Learning Education and Active Aging (LEAA) Board, where she has facilitated a workshop on “The role of territorial networks for lifelong learning in active ageing”.
Fieldwork has started in Mattie and Meana di Susa (Piedmont) and is still ongoing; the list of 30 prospective participants provided by one of the municipalities has allowed the researchers to realize and fully transcribe 18 interviews in Meana di Susa; interviews are still ongoing, while in Mattie will be realized in February.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
On the 3rd and 4th of October, the WP leader, prof. Laura Formenti, has presented data and reflections from the WP’s work at the conference “Aging in progress: dalla ricerca di base all’applicazione sul territorio”, organized by the University of Eastern Piedmont. Title of her presentation: “How to align new health and social policies to emerging problems”.
The 36 interviews conducted in the area of Piacenza (Morfasso and Vernasca) have been completed and transcribed. The analysis phase is currently underway and involves the development and application of a structured codebook. This process is focused on identifying key aspects of active ageing activities, unmet or unexpressed needs, available local services, barriers, and core concerns among the clusters of older adults previously identified. The preliminary findings from this analysis will be shared and discussed with the Local Health Authority (LHA) of Piacenza during a meeting scheduled for January 2025.
The interviews are currently underway in both the Naples and Turin areas, with ongoing data collection.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
This task will develop fully only in the following phase of fieldwork (cooperative inquiry and co-design).
Fieldwork
The analysis of the 36 interviews has been completed, and key insights have been successfully identified through the application of the codebook. The preliminary results were shared and discussed with the LHA of Piacenza in January 2025. Based on these findings, work has begun on developing fictitious persona profiles following the personas approach (Patalano et al., 2021; Gentile et al., 2022). These profiles, representing distinct segments of the study population, will serve as the foundation for the upcoming co-design sessions with community stakeholders to identify and address emerging needs.
The interviews in the Naples area have been completed, while they are still ongoing in the Turin area.
Summer School
The organization of the Summer School, titled "Transitions in Ageing: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Research," scheduled to take place at Villa del Grumello, Como (September 1-5, 2025), is progressing steadily. As of now, key milestones have been achieved in terms of program development, participant recruitment strategy, and coordination with collaborating institutions.
The provisional program, designed to foster an interdisciplinary approach to transitions in ageing, has been structured to include a balance of lectures, workshops, PhD student presentations, supervision sessions, and collaborative writing groups. The focus is on integrating diverse perspectives from fields such as sociology, educational gerontology, health policies, and digital transitions. Lecturers and facilitators have been preliminarily confirmed, covering topics like intersectionality, life-course sociology, and technology-mediated care.
Additionally, partnerships with key networks such as ESREA, RUIAP, Age-IT, and CAPTED have been secured, ensuring interdisciplinary participation and support.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
With respect to the fieldwork, rhis task will develop fully only in the following phase of fieldwork (cooperative inquiry and co-design).
As per the summer school, expected implications include advancing interdisciplinary research on ageing by fostering theoretical innovation, methodological integration, and cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Research papers
Conference presentations
Other initiatives