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Getting older Getting older user users in s involv

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ed: the e the experience of xperience of A AGE GE Pla Platf tfor

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8th European e-Accessibility Forum Ophelie Durand

Monday 31 March 2014

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AGE Platform Europe

Voicing the needs and concerns of older people in Europe

AGE Platform Europe is a European network of around 167 organisations of and for people aged 50+ which aims to voice and promote the interests of the 150 million senior citizens in the European Union. AGE Platform Europe works to:

• Bring older users’ point of view to European policy debates and EU-funded

projects

• Raise awareness on users' needs and wishes
• Work together with other European NGOs and stakeholders
• Involve and empower older persons
• Lead EU-wide campaigns

Guiding principles

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• Towards a society of all ages: Promote

inter- and intra- generational solidarity

• Older people as a resource: take into

account the cultural and professional resource represented by older people

• Older people as self-advocates: older

people should be able to speak on their

• wn behalf

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Who ho ar are olde e older r pe peop

• ple?

le?

“Older people are a totally heterogeneous group and that is a vital point to learn. You have those who continue to decide on their daily living and those who at the same age have given up. You have those who will grasp the tele-control and flick through the channels and those who leave it in the drawer preferring to push the button”.

Angela Cluzel, AGE Expert on the occasion of the AALIANCE Final Conference, Malaga, March 2010

How do we represent

• ur members?

 User involvement as an added value both to research and practice  User involvement from the outset to ensure that users’ needs and preferences can be better understood and taken into account

How do we involve our members?

3 main ways to involve users:

• User fora
• Advisory Boards
• Task forces

User fora

• Informal setting to share and test ideas, technologies

and services

• Representatives of user organisations and/or individuals
• Aim at collecting practical insights from the users’ views

and experience

• Users not necessarily expected to be experts in the

subject of the projects.

• Use of plain language

Advisory Boards

• Permanent composition that allows for larger visibility of

their actions

• Experienced representatives of older persons to make

sure that the most relevant person sits in the advisory group

• Long-lasting contribution of expertise and experience.

Task Forces

• AGE members nominate their experts in various policy

domains in which AGE works on

• Informed about the latest developments in the policy

sector they are experts in

• Contribute to consultations and surveys, help on policy

papers, share literature and studies, comment and exchange thoughts, experiences and suggest possible ways forward.

Ho How do w w do we e do do this in this in pr practice? actice?

Questionnaires/Surveys

• might create difficulties for some requiring support
• do not necessarily ensure adequate level of

engagement and that the right answers are provided. Questionnaires used in telephone-interviews and in face- to-face interviews, offer better opportunities for in-depth understanding of users’ needs. Case study: the ASAPS Project

Ho How do w w do we e do do this in this in pr practice? actice?

Focus Group

• form of a structured group discussion with selected

people

• gather different perspectives and attitudes on a certain

topic

• small groups (6-8 people maximum) and no longer than

2 hours. Interaction is characteristic of focus groups, therefore a skilled moderator is crucial in order to coordinate the discussion, encourage equal participation and differentiate between individual and group opinions. Case study: INNOVAGE project

Ho How do w w do we e do do this in this in pr practice? actice?

Pilot sites’ visits Advisory Boards are usually invited to visit projects’ pilot sites to provide expertise on the challenges they face. Advisory boards members are asked to contribute in various ways:

• attending meetings
• meeting individual users of the tested services
• providing feedback to the partners in charge of the

pilots, etc. Case study: DREAMING and HOME SWEET HOME projects

How do we assess users’ participation?

Evaluation questionnaire: assessing the quality and relevance of the discussions and compiling suggestions for improvements. Feedback reports related to Advisory Board members’ expectations, observations and suggestions, both prior to the visit (ex-ante) and afterwards (ex- post). HOME SWEET HOME qualitative study to highlight existing barriers and facilitators of the take up of technology based on users’ feedback.

How do we report back to them?

Various channels to report back to AGE members:

• monthly newsletter
• punctual newsflashes
• expert groups’ meetings (task forces)
• statutory meetings (General assembly and Council
• f administration)
• e-mails to its members on specific topics
• publications and brochures
• AGE website

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Involving, (em)powering - a win-win situation

For older people Participation allows to increase the sense of ownership It reduces the feeling of being exploited by research It enhances social participation It contributes to the development of skills of older people It allows to keep at pace with reseach developments and innovation It helps the users understand their role in the process, technology and methodology used

What do we learn?

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For researchers Participation ensures researchers understand users better It reduces the gap between research and practice It encourages the consensus between/within stakeholders It helps achieve better research results, encompassing hard-to-reach groups It facilitates user/society acceptance and therefore business development of innovation

Involving, (em)powering - a win-win situation

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For society Participation of beneficiaries diminishes the risk of ageism Research priorities reflect those of users, ensuring that money and resources are not wasted on research with little or no relevance Increase real impact of research on society Improve services and products (i.e. accessibility) for the benefit of society as a whole

Involving, (em)powering - a win-win situation

Thank you for your attention!

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Questions?

AGE Platform Europe

Rue Froissart 111 1040 Bruxelles – Belgique Contact person: Ophelie Durand E-mail: ophelie.durand@age-platform.eu

• tel. : +32.2.280.14.70

www.age-platform.eu