Speculative Exploration of Digital Falls Support for Older People

Background: Falls have been shown to have a serious impact on long-term health outcomes, especially for older people who are likely to already have multiple long-term conditions. Our participatory design research has developed a digital risk assessment and service directory alongside digitally facilitated referral to falls prevention resources. Digital platforms have the potential to significantly improve the reach of care, remove barriers to service access, provide an alternative to face-to-face support, and empower people by giving them ownership of their health and care. However, the factors which put people most at risk for falls (such as older age, poverty, and multi-morbidity) are also associated with digital literacy difficulties. Receiving support from someone else (a professional or carer) impacts privacy and autonomy.

 

In this hands-on workshop, we will creatively explore some of the tensions around this topic, using examples from lived experience research with older people and carers.

How might we use digital to…

• …support older people to access digital health services without compromising their safety, privacy, and autonomy?
• …respectfully allow for differing perspectives and goals between older people and informal support and care?
• …encapsulate a holistic, proactive model of falls support when people are not being assessed face-to-face?
• …reduce the burden on professionals in having to consider and process additional sources of information about the person?

 

Audience: Those who have lived experience of being at risk of falls or of caring for someone who is at risk, researchers, healthcare professionals, and digital professionals.

 

Approach: Introductory presentation (20 minutes)

Attendees will be given a brief introduction to the problem space, along with scenarios and personas which we have developed through lived experience research.

Participatory workshop in groups (40 minutes)

Attendees will divide into groups, with each group working on a different aspect of the problem area, as outlined by the “How might we…?” questions above. Each group will be provided with worksheets, craft materials, and persona cards. Using the materials, groups will be asked to create a visual (such as a service map or storyboard) which illustrates a possible future solution to their question.

 

Solutions can be practical, speculative, or even fantastical. Groups are encouraged to be creative!

Feedback to room and group discussion (30 minutes)

Groups will present their solutions back to the room. Everyone will get a chance to discuss the insights and reactions from these. We will also provide feedback sheets for attendees to give written feedback if they prefer.

 

Outcomes: Attendees will learn about:

• Complex nature of falls prevention and difficulties in supporting digital assessment and service access
• Tensions in older people/carer relationships related to falls
• Real-world examples from participatory research with people who have lived experience

By imagining creative solutions to some of these problems, participants will take away practical insights on how these might be addressed in future.