This 3-year research programme aims to examine how we can design, test, deliver and evaluate digital resources to facilitate structured activity programmes for 'health connectivity' in older age. Through examining the feasibility and impact of a digital approach to two existing initiatives, intergenerational physical activity (IGPA) and sports-based intergenerational reminiscence (SBIR), the research will demonstrate the potential for development of related products and services to enhance support for health in later life. Developing and strengthening older people's 'connectivities' - their links with community, resources and meaningful activities - is a key part of supporting healthy ageing and reducing health inequalities in later life. Social connectivity and increasingly, digital connectivity, are pillars of what we here term 'health connectivity', or an individual's links to supports for health and well-being. Both IGPA and SBIR are designed to deliver activities in ways which foster social connectivity for participants within and between generations, increasing mutual understanding and empathy. The impact of social connectivity on older people's health behaviours and health outcomes is well established, as is risk of reduced social connectivity in later life due to factors such as area deprivation and conditions like visual, hearing and cognitive impairment. Far less is known about the most effective ways to maintain and improve connectedness and so optimise those benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus the need to be able to deliver programmes which support older people's social connectivity such as IGPA and SBIR effectively in a socially distanced world, but digital connectivity-connectedness through digital technology - was already of growing importance to older people in enabling them to access community, information and other resources in addition to eHealth applications and online healthcare services. COVID-19 has also brought into stark relief the need to urgently address so called 'digital divides', inequalities in access to digital connectivity through age, economic disadvantage and functional limitations, and this programme will stimulate developments which help to reduce such inequalities. The research programme, to be delivered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers based at the Universities of Plymouth and Stirling, consists of six 6-month inter-linked and co-dependant work packages (WPs) and will employ an innovative intergenerational co-production approach throughout. In WP1, information sharing mechanisms will be developed, a consultative Reference Group constituted, reviews and interviews with intergenerational programming providers to inform subsequent WPs conducted, and outcome measures developed for a pre- and post- testing of IGPA and SBIR participants. In WP2 community dwelling older people and younger participants in Cornwall (64) and Scotland (32) and 48 residents from 12 care homes (16 Stirling/32 Cornwall) will be recruited via partner organisations and form 20 researcher-supported intergenerational co-production groups (ICGs) for WP3. Following baseline outcome assessments, each ICG will meet bi-weekly for 6 months to share experiences of sport and physical activity and explore and test assistive technologies for either IGPA or SBIR. Recording of meetings and researcher observations will be thematically analysed to document those processes and identify themes around user needs and product ideas. In WP4 findings will be shared and the WP team will work with SME business partners to innovate new technologies to support IGPA and SBIR, with SMEs design concepts tested by the ICGs to inform development of prototypes tested by the ICGs in WP5, ending with post-test outcome assessments. Project-spanning implementation of the impact, knowledge exchange and communications strategy, coordination across interlinked empirical WPs, and dissemination activities are all included within WP6

We know that health disparities vary by geography, that community assets have been proposed as one way to approach health inequalities, and distribution of these assets varies by place. It is also not well understood how formal public organisations can best link with community assets for health, which is particularly important as new organisations form in England. Our proposal brings together academics, three public health teams, primary care networks, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE), residents and other stakeholders to better understand how we identify, value and support community assets in delivering health and social care in Devon Integrated Care System (ICS), we propose an integrated model of developing community-based approaches to mapping/data linkage and understanding the needs of that locality. We aim to build a research-in-practice consortium with the capability to carry out research to identify and map diverse community assets, understand the conditions which created these assets and develop approaches to more fully integrate such groups and activities into Devon ICS to address health disparities. We will work with three distinct localities, each made of a cluster of Primary Care Networks within Devon ICS. These areas have significant deprivation and represent distinct coastal typologies: Central Plymouth; Paignton; and South Brent. Whilst diverse and multi-method approaches will be employed, our proposal adopts a realist informed approach and we will develop an overarching programme theory for how community assets can contribute to addressing health disparities. We propose three workstreams (WSs). WS1 will build the collaboration, and undertake activities to build trusting relationships, embed researchers within localities and organisations and prepare the ground for work to be undertaken in later stages. Work in WS2 will explore novel ways of mapping groups, people and places where community assets are developed and sustained. We will test methodologies for the identification of population subgroups who would benefit from preventive interventions. WS3 will bring together the insights and intelligence gathered in WS1 and WS2, as well as the literature, and seek to develop theoretical models of both 'currently feasible' (based on current technology and modest investment) as well as 'future oriented' (10 years on) asset hubs. We will examine innovative ways of assessing the value of such assets, their support and mechanisms of linkage. Overall, these activities will create a learning partnership (consortium) between residents, community partners, VCSE, ICS practitioners and researchers, in three localities, which can identify local community assets; develop and evaluate innovative ways of bringing together community health and social care in each locality; and contribute to the evidence base as to how inequalities can be mitigated or addressed. We will work closely with a steering group of local VCSE and ICS leaders and agree how the consortium will both be part of local asset hubs and link to ICS wide commissioning, public health and intelligence functions.

Older people's connection with community, groups and activities in their neighbourhood and the cultural landscape, are essential for social inclusion and healthy ageing. As society becomes ever more digital those excluded are at risk of social exclusion. Peripheral rural and coastal economies such as Devon and Cornwall tend to have low productivity reflecting the shift in deprivation away from cities. Traditional industries such as farming, mining, fishing, and port activity have all declined. Alternative high-wage digital sector jobs have not emerged resulting in an exodus of younger people with higher qualifications. The region has major assets of environment and heritage and a thriving third sector. We will develop novel technologies in games, extended reality, underwater telepresence, and artificial intelligence (AI) voice interfaces to use these assets to tackle digital exclusion. The multidisciplinary project will take an inter-generational approach to co-design technologies to connect digitally excluded people with community groups and the cultural landscape, while creating opportunities for excluded younger people in digital careers. The academic team comprises a principle investigator with long track record in digital health inclusion, four early career researchers (games, digital arts, robotics, and AI), post-doc researchers (evaluation, co-design, eHealth and robotics), and advisors from arts and heritage, social policy, architecture, marine biology, and health informatics. A major strength is the extensive network of external partners including digital inclusion networks, businesses setting up village hubs, care home and sheltered housing chains, farming networks, museums, heritage and environmental sites, further education colleges, community groups from deprived and ethnically diverse communities, and organisations for sensory impaired people. This network has been built by our projects such as EPIC (Ehealth Productivity and Innovation in Cornwall) and GOALD (Generating Older Active Lives Digitally). The 30 month project will work with 20 partner organisations, recruit 80 older (50+) people and 40 younger (16-20) people who will work with researchers to co-develop novel technologies helping participants to connect to community and cultural landscape in the region. Three strands of technology development will require access to broadband at home or in village halls: (i) enhanced virtual reality giving the ability to move around heritage sites and significant natural landscapes such as Tintagel Castle or Eden Project, (ii) social games connecting older people (e.g. between care homes) based on local history, culture and environment, (iii) underwater telepresence enabling the user to explore and engage with the Plymouth Marine Park. The fourth will give digitally excluded older people with no broadband, telephone access by AI voice interface to online resources such as museums and community groups. The 120 participants would join monthly workshops, in person or online, over 18 months receiving expenses and a participation certificate. We will interview participants at beginning (expectations) and end (reflections). Interviews will be thematically analysed. Questionnaires will be used to assess change in digital use and confidence, connectivity to community and culture, young people's interest in STEM subjects and their attitudes to older people. We will compare interview findings with quantitative approaches to see if there is consistency. We will set up a social enterprise which will work with our partner organisations and participants to demonstrate the technologies to regional and national audiences of 300-400. This social enterprise will carry forward the development, sale (either to individuals or to organisations) at low price, implementation of the technologies and continued engagement of young people in this digital development.