Social Shifts
The Norrköping Loneliness Network – Reflections from a Utilization Project as a Way of Achieving Cooperations and Knowledge Production
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Axel Ågren
Cooperation between universities and the surrounding society as a way of increased knowledge utilization is often presented as ways of reducing loneliness in later life. Meanwhile, professional hierarchies, differences in organizational cultures and lack of time and resources are listed as prime obstacles for achieving these ideals. Since 2022 we (Axel Ågren Linköping University, Molly Appleton Volunteer Center Norrköping) have arranged a utilization project in Norrköping, Sweden, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and experiences from working with loneliness in later life from the perspectives of research, eldercare, healthcare and civil society. After having built an established network for knowledge utilization and encouraging cooperations, the following obstacles and possibilities have been identified: 1. Resources and time. Throughout the meetings, many suggestions for how to better understand and work with loneliness have been presented. Lack of time and resources was, however, a recurrent obstacle for new cooperations and methods for reducing loneliness. 2. Cooperations. Several cooperations have been established between research, civil society and municipalities, but mainly in small scale. 3. Information. Much knowledge has been exchanged, but the challenge is to document, publish and distribute these insights in relevant forums for professionals and older adults. 4. Talk but then what? Although having exchanged and expanded knowledge on loneliness, the question is if these insights help those older adults suffering from loneliness. 5. Openness. Having a welcoming approach to all participants and valuing practical knowledge as equally important as scientific knowledge has proved to be key to the network’s success.
The Paradox of Active Aging: Delayed Retirement and the Pursuit of Shorter Working Hours in Europe
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sining Zhao
Europe is facing an unprecedented demographic shift, with an increasing proportion of older adults placing pressure on pension systems and labor markets. In response, many countries have implemented policies to delay retirement and promote active aging, aiming to extend working lives while maintaining economic sustainability. However, these policies may conflict with the long-standing theoretical goal of reduced working hours, envisioned by Keynes and others, which suggests that technological progress should enable shorter workweeks and improved life quality. This paper examines the paradox of active aging through a comparative analysis of Germany and Sweden, representing contrasting welfare regimes. Germany combines delayed retirement with widespread non-standard employment (Mini-Jobs), while Sweden offers flexible retirement and robust social protections. By analyzing retirement ages, working hours, health expectancy, and pension coverage, the study highlights how delayed retirement disproportionately affects older workers in different occupational and gender groups, potentially exacerbating social inequalities. The findings suggest that achieving both longer working lives and shorter, more sustainable workweeks requires coordinated policies that address labor market flexibility, pension adequacy, and social equity.
Participatory Pathways: Identifying Naturally Occurring Communities for Aging in the Right Rural Place
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Alison Grittner
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) offers a framework for co-creating knowledge with communities that is particularly well-suited to understanding aging in rural contexts. This paper explores CBPR processes undertaken to identify Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)—geographic areas where concentrations of older adults live without being specifically designed for aging—as part of Homeward Bound: Enhancing Healthcare, Housing, and Social Support for Aging Rural Nova Scotians. Homeward Bound is a seven-year intervention study focused on delivering and evaluating aging supports through the spatial-organizing framework of NORCs across rural Eastern Nova Scotia, Canada. NORCs are well-documented in urban settings (e.g., apartment buildings) but underexplored in rural regions. Identifying rural NORCs requires more than demographic data; it demands collaborative engagement with local knowledge, lived experience, and spatial understanding. Using CBPR principles of co-learning, mutual benefit, and shared decision-making, this project engaged community members, service providers, and older adults to collectively identify rural NORCs for intervention partnerships. Processes included geographic mapping of demographic densities, lived advisory council conversations, community workshops, and iterative feedback sessions. We offer key methodological insights, including strategies for building trust, addressing power imbalances, navigating diverse community needs, and integrating multimodal forms of knowledge into NORC identification. By centering community voices, this work demonstrates how CBPR can illuminate pathways for policy and practice that strengthen rural aging supports. Lessons learned extend beyond NORC identification, offering a model of collaborative inquiry that advances scholarship and the practical goal of enabling older adults to age in the right rural place.
