As we write this post, Nova Scotia (NS) is approaching the end of it’s 3rd wave of COVID-19. Our province has fared relatively well compared to other places around the globe and for that we are grateful. But, NS has not been spared during this pandemic and indeed, while we are all experiencing the same ‘storm’, we are not all in the same boat. The impacts of the pandemic and the impacts of public health measures meant to control COVID-19 are not experienced in similar ways across communities.
We have heard from community contacts and local researchers that our older populations are reporting increased rates of social isolation and mental health issues like anxiety and depression; we have lost many precious lives far too soon to this disease and folx across the age spectrum are experiencing reduced access to programs, supports and services that might otherwise have been in place for them during non-pandemic times.
COVID-19 has also significantly influenced the work of NS GovLab. It’s coloured our evolving understanding of the needs of older adults — in particular those who also face racism, discrimination, and marginalization on the daily. It’s also drawn explicit attention to the gaps in programs, services and supports and even how we are thinking about prototyping.
So, we thought we would hop on here and share a little more about what we have been up to over the past couple of months and the types of prototypes we have been working on. Stay tuned for more posts in the coming days and weeks as we detail the work we are engaged in now, and how we got here.
The Aging in Place Portal
One prototype the NS GovLab team has been working on for some time, is an Aging in Place (AIP) portal prototype. In upcoming posts, we will be sharing the story of how we got to this place, how the idea came about and what led us here, but first, let us give you an update on what our team has been up to.
In late February, 2021 our team began the process of iterating on our first prototype to design and develop a second version of the AIP portal (AIP 2.0). In this version, we are exploring how we might create an online tool that:
- helps people who need to make choices in their lives, focus on the services, supports, and plans they may need now and in the future to age in place;
- would match the user to relevant programs and services by suggesting programs, information, and content that may be relevant to the user’s immediate and future needs.
We also are exploring how we can use this tool to empower people toward actions that may help them realize these choices while also acknowledging that for many, these individual choices are often constrained by the impacts of colonialism, racism, limited financial resources, the environments they live in and their current overall health. And, we have paid particular attention to ensuring that we carefully avoid language and design elements in this online tool that convey the assumption that if people just planned better, they could stay in their homes and communities longer.
To help guide our process, our team looked back at what users shared and we reconsidered what had already been developed. A few key questions immediately jumped out as we revisited this work. For example,
In reflecting on the tool, the Lab’s work around decolonial practices, and the insights from previous testing, we realized that the portal’s design and content needed to be re-worked to better achieve its purpose to support people to age in place. Because iteration after feedback is an important part of the prototyping process, the team re-visited the tool to change things up with our new learnings and reflections as our guide.
Some of the learnings we arrived at and how we adapted and changed the tool are outlined below:
Where We Are Now
We are still currently working to develop our second version of the aging in place portal! We have spent time re-working a significant amount of the content in the tool and have focused on building a database of resources that might meet immediate or future needs, so that these can be matched to what users say is important for them. We also have a team of web developers and designers who will be translating our work into an online website tool. We are currently developing a plan to test our new website out over the summer. If you’re interested in becoming a tester, please connect with us here to tell us a little about yourself: http://surveys.novascotia.ca/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=8lKH4l3K2
Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks to learn more about the story behind how we got here and to hear more about what the Lab has been up to. You can read the next post in our series here: https://nsgovlab.medium.com/the-power-of-design-challenge-questions-a7c648985e40
Have some thoughts or questions about aging in place? Drop them below, our team would love to explore and engage with folx about this concept!
