A PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH APPROACH TO AGEING IN A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY IN THE NORTH-WEST PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA

In the Participatory Action Research model (the PAR model) research and action to solve a particular problem in a specific community take place simultaneously (Schurink, 1998:405-418; Strydom, 2001:379-392). The PAR model aims at combining research with direct service delivery for the benefit of the community. Health scientists, and specifically psychosocial behavioural scientists, encounter a philosophical dilemma in the sense that they have to do research according to the requirements of the first world, but in the same time they have to adhere to the requirements of developing countries. In developing countries terminology such as cost effectiveness, utility, limited funds, capacity building, developmental approach, the speedy solution to problems and positive short-term reaction is important in research (White Paper on Social Welfare, 1997)