Generating Older Active Lives Digitally (GOALD)

Technology can offer solutions to maintain health and improve our quality of life. From online gaming to virtual meetings, there are quick and easy ways for people to meaningfully connect online.

Problems arise when subsets of society are unable to access these spaces due to poor connectivity in an area, lack of technological know-how or the absence of the technology itself due to economic disadvantage (e.g. no smart phone or computer). Older people, especially those living in remote parts of the UK such as Stirling and the South West, are more at risk of digital exclusion due to these factors. At the same time, the benefits to them of engaging in the technology and finding online spaces to connect with people are arguably greater. Therefore, the question becomes, how can we ensure these activities are accessible to older people?

The GOALD (Generating Older Active Lives Digitally) project examined how to design and deliver digital resources to provide and engage older people in structured activity programmes and improve health and wellbeing. One of the outputs of GOALD was a toolkit for SMEs to aid design.

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:

Working with the EPIC project (eHealth Productivity and Innovation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) , led by the University of Plymouth’s Centre for Health Technology, GOALD continued the University’s work to support businesses in developing technology to address the challenges faced by communities and providers in coastal and rural settings.

Funded with grants of over £6M between 2017 and 2023 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the South West Academic Health Science Network (AHSN), EPIC created a network of eHealth stakeholders across Cornwall and provided sector-specific hands-on business support for local businesses to develop new eHealth products and services. It helped create new jobs, products and services and provided a foundation for the subsequent GOALD and ICONIC projects.

GOALD provided the opportunity for intergenerational participants to provide feedback on technologies helping to shape aspects of future digital design. By partnering with charity and community groups the project sought to record the experiences of a diverse range of people. Our findings were shared with UK business partners – small to medium-sized enterprises – to develop new technologies, product ideas and test design concepts.

The programme aimed to contribute to the challenging mission of ensuring people can enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent, years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the richest and poorest and enhancing our understanding of the aspirations, preferences and needs of the ageing population.