Active ageing is a global priority, aiming to improve the well-being of older adults by promoting health, participation, and safety. While existing digital interventions often focus on individual behaviour change (e.g., increasing physical activity or adopting healthier habits), these approaches neglect the influence of broader social and physical environments. According to the ecological model, individual actions are shaped by complex interactions between personal, social, and environmental factors. Thus, a more holistic approach is needed to support active ageing that incorporates both social and environmental considerations.

To explore this, we formed an interdisciplinary team of experts in Industrial Design, Information Technology, Built Environment, and Public Health. Together with Ontmoet & Groet, a senior centre in Eindhoven, we applied and received funding from EWUU alliance.

We involved community members in a co-design hackathon, focusing on how the social and physical aspects of community gardening could support their active engagement in physical and social activities. We developed a toolkit for co-designing towards community-based active ageing and evaluated the toolkit in the hackathon. Other methods included focus groups, interviews, participatory workshops, prototyping sessions, and feedback loops to refine the design.

The hackathon concepts led to the development of a community gardening intervention that integrates digital tools with physical and social factors to support active ageing. Key insights included the importance of creating social support networks through gardening activities and the need for adaptable tools that consider the physical capabilities of older adults.
I give free training on using the toolkit, so feel free to get in touch!