- How do older people use digital services?
- What are the risk factors for digital exclusion?
- What matters promote digital inclusion?
One goal of the DigiIN project is to determine how the needs, values and competence of older people can be better taken into consideration in the digitalisation of social and health services. The starting point for this is population ageing, especially the increasing cultural diversity and differing digital skills among the elderly.
We will investigate the ways in which older age groups use digital services and the connection between communications and media technologies and their satisfaction with life and perceived health. We will use large sets of survey data in this research, such as FinSote; Older audiences in the digital media environment.
We will also investigate the involvement of older people in the co-creation of digital services by using policy analysis methods to analyse documents from social and health care digitalisation projects. We will also interview experts from different administrative levels (municipality, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities/region, ministry) who are responsible for planning and implementing these projects.
Thirdly, we will examine the potential of digital services to promote the health and well-being of older people. We will carry out a follow-up study in the Age Institute’s Strength in Old Age Virtually project. The purpose of the project is to use remote connections to improve access to health exercise for people over 75 who live far away from services.
The work package will be carried out in close cooperation with different parties in the DigiIN consortium. Key actors are the University of Jyväskylä’s Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care and the Age Institute.
The work package leader is Adjunct Professor Sakari Taipale from the University of Jyväskylä.
DigiIN research group of the University of Jyväskylä: Ville Mustola, Sakari Taipale, Tomi Oinas, Joonas Karhinen, Viivi Korpela, Laura Pajula and Riitta Hänninen (pictured). The group also includes Antti Hämäläinen. DigiIN research group of the Age Institute: Päivi Topo ja Sonja Iltanen.