Care as collective work: Transforming public response to family caregiving through Participatory Action Research
Hauptsächlicher Artikelinhalt
Abstract
This paper examines how public institutions, supported by university researchers in a facilitative role, can develop innovative responses to family caregivers’ needs through participatory action research. The experience led to the creation of the Caregiver Lab, not merely as a network connecting caregivers and the diverse organizations involved in their support, but as a reflective governance device and co-design arena. Through iterative cycles of listening, dialogue, and collective inquiry, the Lab enabled shared meaning-making, institutional learning, and the co-construction of concrete actions. The study highlights how collaborative infrastructures can address care-related complexity and strengthen democratic participation in welfare systems.
Keywords: family caregivers, participatory action research, local welfare, co-design
El cuidado como trabajo colectivo: transformar la respuesta pública a los cuidados familiares mediante la investigación-acción participativa
Este artículo examina cómo las instituciones públicas, con el apoyo de investigadores universitarios en un rol facilitador, pueden desarrollar respuestas innovadoras a las necesidades de los cuidadores familiares mediante la investigación-acción participativa. La experiencia dio lugar a la creación del Caregiver Lab, no solo como una red que conecta a los cuidadores con las diversas organizaciones implicadas en su apoyo, sino como un dispositivo de gobernanza reflexiva y un espacio de co-diseño. A través de ciclos iterativos de escucha, diálogo e indagación colectiva, el Lab favoreció la construcción compartida de significados, el aprendizaje institucional y la co-construcción de acciones concretas. El estudio pone de relieve cómo las infraestructuras colaborativas pueden afrontar la complejidad asociada al cuidado y fortalecer la participación democrática en los sistemas de bienestar.
Palabras clave: cuidadores familiares, investigación-acción participativa, bienestar local, co-diseño
Bibliographie: Gambirasio, Maddalena/Scaratti, Giuseppe/Ruggeri, Giosuè: Care as collective work: Transforming public response to family caregiving through Participatory Action Research, IJAR – International Journal of Action Research, No. 3-2025, S. 264-282.
Artikel-Details
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