Research activities

Task one

We outlined the state of the art. Using literature review, expert interviews and internet based research, the most important achievements in the field of biogerontology suitable for translation were identified. Quality of data was assessed by taking into account publication in a peer-reviewed journal, number of animals or individuals studied, objectivity of measurements, and techniques used to minimize bias.

New findings suitable for translation were defined and presently used strategies were specified for their efficacy to present/postpone the pitfalls of aging. Translational measures included medications, nutrition, physical exercise and technical support for a healthy lifestyle.

Task two

Assessment of the quality of different strategies. In order to realise the potential of biogerontological breakthroughs and interventions to offset the ageing process we needed to focus on identifying and capturing user requirements. There are a number of potential intervention devices which could be used to improve the quality of life in older individuals but often these go unused. This may be because older individuals are unaware of these devices or because the devices themselves fail through poor design to be taken up.

Higher user involvement during the initial phases of any product development is regarded by many as important as it helps capture user needs, which benefits both users and producers. We organised workshops and/or focus groups in which introduced a small number of health devices which may impact on the lifestyle of the older people and through a combination of usability tests and contextual inquiry we sought to understand barriers to device adoption and identify better-targeted interventions and higher customer satisfaction.

In addition we developed and used rough prototypes to use as ‘interaction dialogue tools’ as prompts to generate insights to the barriers that may impact on uptake and usability. From these discussions we generated a roadmap which may benefit those seeking to design and produce devices targeted at older populations.

Task three

Communication and dissemination. The results of the work performed in tasked one and two were categorised according to their importance and feasibility for translation to support active and healthy aging and to generate new procedures and interventions to postpone/prevent disease. This process was facilitated by regular feedback from other WPs as described in WP1/tasks one and two.

In the next step we summarised the data in a way to be presented and discussed with the other participants of the project. In particular they were discussed in the context of research fields: health and well-being, built and technological environment, social support and long-term care, and enhancing active citizenship.

These discussions were most relevant for the definition of the most important areas for translation of biogerontological research and of potential means and measures. The discussions took place in the course of project meetings, during which further dissemination measures were defined. The final outcome of this WP was a meeting between scientists of different disciplines and stakeholders.