Our academic and health and care professionals utilise living laboratory co-creation methodologies for the co-development of innovation to support older people’s needs.
We work closely with key stakeholders in health and social care including local authority commissioners, third sector organisations, other universities, and older people themselves to understand the features of the most promising, effective, usable and acceptable innovations for older people and the best ways of implementing their uses.
Over the past four years, as part of the Seas2Grow project and Age Tech Accelerator, we have undertaken comprehensive work to understand the needs of older people, including:
We have a close working relationship with other living laboratories, business incubators and care organisations in three different European countries (France, Belgium and the Netherlands). We are partners of the Agetech Accelerator, which scopes out promising age-related innovations (assessed using robust criteria for social value, innovative value and feasibility) and funding sources to support further development of such products.
We have a managed panel of over 200 older people living independently (i.e. at home) and in care/assisted living homes, and health and care experts who work with us to understand the needs of older people in relation to adopting technology and innovations and participate in the testing of innovations.
Community Assets in North East Essex
The Overcoming Barriers to Health and Wellbeing report presents research carried out by Public Health and Social Science researchers at Anglia Ruskin University. Colchester Borough Council commissioned this independent study with funding from the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance.
The aim of the research is to provide Local Authorities and health and wellbeing commissioners with insight into the public health benefits of community assets from the perspective of citizens who access them in their local communities.
This report provides an evidence-based rationale for the support of community assets to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of citizens in North East Essex. There is a focus on populations considered to be at increased risk of poor health and wellbeing outcomes, and on addressing populations in places where there are areas of comparative social deprivation in the context of growing health inequalities in the region.