Study 14

Getting out socially and moving about physically can help maintain independence and quality of life for adults 55 years of age and older. Community programs designed to support these activities may be highly effective, but many older adults face barriers accessing them. Co-design is an approach that engages target populations and other stakeholders with researchers. The aim is to co-design new programs that align with and leverage existing community programs, address service gaps, and meet community needs that will be evaluated through research. Experiences of older adults and community service providers are critical partners in this work.

The overall goal of the EMBOLDEN research program is to promote physical and community mobility of older adults who experience difficulties participating in community programs and reside in communities of high health inequity. Building on existing best practices and local evidence, researchers together with local older adults and community service providers will co-design an innovative community-based program to promote mobility amongst community-dwelling older adults.

Following the co-design of the intervention, the study (a pragmatic mixed methods randomized controlled trial) will evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the EMBOLDEN program. Evidence of feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of the program will provide a foundation to assess the potential to sustain the program and test it in other communities. The EMBOLDEN research program is an interdisciplinary research initiative of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging and draws on the expertise of several Faculties and academic units.

Poster

A Participatory Approach to Evaluating Citizen and Community Engagement in the Co-Design of an Intervention to Support Older Adults’ Mobility

Webinar: MIRA partner Lancaster University recently featured Dr. Rebecca Ganann and Dr. Sarah Neil-Sztramko speaking on, “Applying co-design methods to development and testing of a novel intervention to support inequities in older adults: The EMBOLDEN Study”.  Watch the recording here

News: EMBOLDEN Team Launches it’s First Co-Design Event in Hamilton