The Utilization and Adaption of Photovoice With Rural Women Aged 85 and Older

Abstract

Photovoice is a qualitative research method that can have very positive outcomes, including making marginalized populations visible. Yet we found that traditional Photovoice methods were not fully effective and needed to be adapted with women aged 85 and older in rural Prince Edward Island, Canada. Concerns that required adaptation were time constraints for the researcher and participants, taking appropriate photographs, balancing power between researcher and participants, and ensuring that the women’s voices were heard and presented clearly for them and their communities. Our purpose in this article is to enrich conversations on applying and adapting Photovoice as a research method with older, rural women. With Photovoice, the women in our study learned to use digital cameras to take photographs and told stories about how and why they made choices for their photographs and how they depicted how they were supported or limited to fulfill their vision of aging in place. We address the key features of the data collection process that contributed to the effective use of Photovoice with this population, including photography training and ethical instructions, guiding them in a process for identifying their most important photographs, working out methods for engaging them in codifying the photographs, and involving them in knowledge mobilization with policy makers directly. In addition, we present key benefits they reported from participation in the Photovoice process and the value of Photovoice for them in influencing policies on aging.