Research studies older people’s experience of digital health technologies

5 January 2017

Older people are trialling the latest digital health accessories for new research to understand how health data can better support older people.

Researchers at The University of Manchester’s Health eResearch Centre (HeRC) are giving participants the opportunity to try out some of the latest activity bracelets to better understand how older people really feel about health data.

The research team are working with Community Reporter groups in Wythenshawe and Salford to train older people to create videos using a smartphone. Participants will then share their thoughts and experiences around collecting and using health data by producing community reports in the form of online video diaries.

The data will give researchers valuable insights into how to engage older people in studies around health data and technology. Lead researcher Dr Sabine Van der Veer said, “This project will provide our team with valuable insights into how older people think health technology and data can help them stay well and independent for as long as possible. These videos will be a great way for us to learn more about how technological solutions could better serve older populations, and will hopefully lead to further research.”

Bernadette Elders from the organisation that runs the Salford Community Reporters scheme said, “The community reporters scheme helps provide a voice to members of the public by giving them the confidence and tools to tell their story in their own way. It‘s an incredibly popular scheme that is about bringing people together in a fun and creative way around issues that matter to them.”

All video blogs will be shared on the Community Reporters website using the hashtag #datasaveslives

For more information, regular project updates, or to sign up for the training please go to the Health eResearch Centre website

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