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On March 14th, 2024, the project titled EMPOWrD – Enhancing Mobility and Participation for Older Adult Wellness through Digital Inclusion was awarded $1,000,000 by McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) as a major program of research to “Improve mobility and wellness among older Canadians by utilizing effective design to bridge divides in access, use and embracement of technology.”

In this project, we are using jPipe to capture best practices related to the development of technologies for older adults.

Press release: https://mira.mcmaster.ca/projects/empowrd-enhancing-mobility-and-participation-for-older-adult-wellness-through-digital-inclusion/

Abstract

The objective of this research program is to improve the mobility and wellness among older Canadians through effective design to bridge divides in access, use and embracement of technology. To achieve these objectives, six multidisciplinary and interconnected research studies are proposed that will collectively enhance multiple dimensions of older adults’ wellness. We use a variety of cooperative design methods where older adults are empowered as purposeful contributors to the design of methods and interfaces, resulting in improved idea generation, recommendations and satisfaction with the resulting design.

We will address all three levels of the digital divide framework:

  1. Digital access divide: Explores facilitators and barriers to ICT access for older adults, with a particular focus on marginalized older adults. Yields design approaches and processes that facilitate access and readiness for ICT use.
  2. Digital capabilities divide: Explores facilitators and barriers to appropriate and continued use of ICT among older adults. Encourages the design of effective training (skills development), approaches and interventions in collaboration with community stakeholders (to build trust, confidence and engagement) and usable interfaces for older adults that facilitate appropriate ICT use and continued use.
  3. Digital outcome divide: Explores facilitators and barriers that prevent older adults from realizing optimal mobility/wellness benefits that can be derived from ICT use while minimizing any negative consequences of the same. Promotes the design of effective approaches, processes and interfaces that facilitate formal digital embracement (for occupational, physical and intellectual mobility/wellness) and informal digital embracement (for social, emotional and spiritual mobility/wellness).

We will also develop generalized design guidelines (holistic and specific to the above targeted outcomes) that can benefit future applications to bridge digital divides for older adults, including protocols, policies, and standards that can be applied to ICT technology developments for aging applications to accelerate the adoption of ICT solutions by older adults.

Consortium

  • Faculty of Business (McMaster University)
    • Milena Head (PI)
    • Brian Deltor
    • Khaled Hassanein
  • Faculty of Engineering (McMaster University)
    • Denise Geiskkovitch
    • Jamal Deen
    • Qiying Fang
    • Sébastien Mosser
  • Faculty of Health Science (McMaster University)
    • Lisa Carlesso
    • Sheila Boamah
    • Tara la Rose
  • Faculty of Social Science (McMaster University)
    • Anthea Innes
    • Nicole K. Dalmer
  • South East Technological University (Ireland)
    • P.J. White (designCORE research centre)

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