Generating Older Active Lives Digitally (GOALD) - Connectivity and Digital Design for Promoting Health and Well-being Across Generations, Places and Spaces

The GOALD project used intergenerational groups to examine how to design and deliver digital resources to provide and engage older people in structured activity programmes, with the aim of improving their health and wellbeing.

Context

Participating in activities such as online games, virtual social gatherings and using assistive technologies allows us to stay connected to our communities and create meaningful experiences which positively impact our health and wellbeing. But how can we ensure these activities are accessible to older people? Age, economic disadvantage and functional limitations have been identified as key barriers to accessing technologies. Further understanding is needed to address these ‘digital divides’.

In addition, implications of the COVID-19 pandemic mean that the role of technology is now pivotal in the ability to deliver programmes for older people in a socially distanced world. It will also ensure greater resilience in the face of future pandemics and more extreme social isolation.

Led by the University of Stirling’s Faculty of Social Sciences’ with support from the Centre for Health Technology at the University of Plymouth, we partnered with seven community groups based locally (Active Stirling, Sports Heritage Scotland, iSight Cornwall, Hearing Loss Cornwall, Devon and Cornwall South Asian Society, Nudge and Cornwall Rural Community Charity) and three nationally (Generations Working Together, ukactive and Sporting Heritage), as well as 12 care homes, to create intergenerational co-production groups made up of older and younger participants. The multidisciplinary research team worked with different groups to explore use and design of digital resources and assistive technologies. The project included:

- user testing technologies – participants giving feedback on their experiences of using VR equipment, gaming and fitness wearables
- social VR walking – care home residents virtually walking with younger participants
- VR environments – creating location-based experiences
- sports and activity focused reminiscence.

GOALD focused on working in co-production groups to develop digital tools for two types of activities in which the research team had experience and expertise: physical activity initiatives and sports-based reminiscence.

Through this process, the GOALD project aimed to:
- understand what might encourage or discourage people from using digital tools
- look at the benefits for different groups of a co-production approach to developing digital wellbeing-promoting resources
- understand what aspects of digitally-delivered activities appealed most to participants and assess their feasibility of adoption
- provide insights into the challenges of, and opportunities for, businesses wanting to engage with older users in these markets
- contribute to knowledge on co-development and co-production
- offer policy and practice recommendations on how to engage older people in co-production
- increase commercial awareness of the benefits of user-engaged co-design of products and services to promote health and wellbeing