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OARPG.. It is All about Older Adults Involved as Experts

10/23/2017

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Documenting best practices for the involvement of older adults in aging and technology research, and supporting the implementation of best practices across the AGE-WELL network is central to the mandate of OA-INVOLVE. We knew from the beginning of our project that in order to promote best practices, we also had to live by them. This meant that it wasn’t enough for us (academics) to conduct research in isolation. It was important to include older adults as research partners within OA-INVOLVE.  As a result, in September 2016 we formed the Older Adult Research Partner Group (OARPG) to involve older people as decision makers and advisors in OA-INVOLVE. Older Adults from each of our four geographic locations (Halifax, Guelph, Toronto, and Vancouver) were invited to join the OARPG, to be involved in both a national and local capacity.

National meetings take place 4-5 times per year, and involve a video conference attended by all members of the OA-INVOLVE team. At these meetings big picture aspects of the project are discussed and members provide input on varying topics including project plans and research findings. Local meetings similarly take place 4-5 times per year (sometimes in conjunction with the national meetings), and are attended in person, providing an opportunity for fruitful face-to-face discussion. At these meetings, we discuss aspects of the project at a deeper level and engage in hands on work that contributes to the broader research goals of OA-INVOLVE. Between meetings we all communicate through email or phone.

The local meetings are a cornerstone to OA-INVOLVE’s work. Speaking as a representative from the Guelph site, I have learned that personal connections are an important component of this type of work, and it’s the local meetings that make personal connections possible. When the Guelph group was first formed, we met with interested members in local coffee shops to not only share information about the project, but to also get to know each other. During local meetings we share a meal together and talk about our plans for holidays, our families, exciting events happening in Guelph, and of course OA-INVOLVE!

At one of our recent meetings we asked members what makes a good research project, and one member responded with “people like you, who put in the time to get to know us”. It is centrally important to the work that we are doing. Members feel comfortable providing critical feedback about the project, and providing helpful advice that can be passed on to other AGE-WELL projects. From members of the OARPG we have also learned what makes research involvement meaningful to them, beyond personal connections. Members have conveyed that they want to share their ideas and see the impact of their work. They want clear roles, and to be certain that we have listened to their ideas. We are learning more each time we meet with the OARPG, and these findings will help to inform best practices for the involvement of older adults in aging and technology research.
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This month, we attended AGE-WELL’s annual general conference in Winnipeg, and we are pleased that three members of the OARPG were in attendance. The conference was a great learning opportunity for all of us. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs from OARPG members on their experiences at the conference!
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Author: Karli Stroud, HQP, University of Guelph


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Planning with the OARPG: AGE-WELL’s 3rd Annual Conference

10/16/2017

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               On Tuesday, October 17th, members of the OA-INVOLVE team and I will be traveling to Winnipeg, Manitoba to attend the AGE-WELL’s 3rd Annual Conference.  The research team members attending the conference include Co-Leads Susan Kirkland and Judith Sixsmith, Co-Investigator Pia Kontos, Research Manager Izabela Panek, and fellow HQP and Group Lead Oriana Vaccarino.  In addition, I am very pleased to say that three members of our Older Adult Research Partner Group (OARPG) will also be in attendance: Janet Fowler (Guelph), Ian Goldman (Toronto), and Bessie Harris (Halifax).  Not only are they attending the conference, but they have been integral to planning how all of the OA-INVOLVE members will be engaged in the conference.

On Wednesday, October 18th, OA-INVOLVE will take part in a Lunch ‘n’ Learn presentation that will showcase all the projects within Workpackage 1 entitled “From Principle to Action: Older Adults as Experts”. In preparation for this presentation, the research team and the three OARPG members attending the AGE-WELL conference held three video conference meetings to discuss the presentation.  These discussions included deciding what information we want to convey and figuring out who would present this information.  

The process for working on this presentation was definitely a collaborative process.  During our first planning meeting with the three OARPG members, as a team we decided that the presentation will focus on the experiences and perspectives of the OARPG regarding their involvement in the OA-INVOLVE project.  We also decided that the OARPG members themselves would speak to these experiences, as opposed to one of the researchers presenting these experiences on their behalf.  The three OARPG members seemed very pleased to be making such a meaningful contribution to the conference presentation.  At the request of the OARPG members, I created a rough draft of PowerPoint slides to give the presentation some structure. During our next two planning meetings, and with email correspondence in between meetings, we all worked together to create and revise the content of the slides and speaking notes.  

During our meetings, we also talked about the other ways in which the OARPG members could be engaged in the AGE-WELL conference.  They were very interested in attending conference sessions to get a chance to learn more about AGE-WELL and its projects and meet the researchers and the scientific directors.  In order to support this, the research team has created an itinerary of events based on what the OARPG members would like to attend, and offered tutorials on how to use the AGE-WELL conference app.  The itinerary also includes social events, such as two team dinners and a visit to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.  Finally, we will be taking on a Photovoice project as a way for the OARPG members who are not able to make the trip to Winnipeg to experience the conference.  This is a qualitative, participatory research method that allows its participants to document an experience via photography and narrative.

​From the very beginning, it was important to find out the ways in which the older adults would like to be involved, and the benefits can be seen in how deeply they have all been engaged throughout the entire planning process. This collaboration has been such a great experience and we look forward to finally arriving in Winnipeg for AGE-WELL’s 3rd Annual Conference!

by Romeo Colobong

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    This Blog is created by OA-INVOLVE team. We highlight here exciting information about ageing & technology, and any information about innovative ways of engaging older adults in technology research and development to help researchers, developers and community members create successful partnerships and projects.
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