Older people involved in policy and planning : factors which support engagement

This paper explores examples of older people being involved in policy and planning initiatives. At a time when the involvement of older people in planning and evaluating services is a focus of many debates, this paper maps out the ways in which this can be helped to happen. The study was planned and carried out by a group of older people, advocates and researchers. Analysis presented a summary of the key themes and concepts of involvement in five different schemes, derived through a collaborative process. The paper also presents the next stage of analysis, that is the development of a series of questions that older people can ask themselves when asked to become involved in an initiative, which would indicate the potential a scheme might have for ‘making a difference.’