Challenge: How can the public and private sector work together in the local community to promote that elderly people in their households initiate and maintain healthy behaviour for diet and socialisation, despite Covid-19?
Challenge Giver: Reality Lab and ICAx
Redefined challenge: How can we facilitate a connection of the elderly across generations in order to enable the aging population to flourish?
Solution: Greta – the Virtual Oldfluencer
Concept: A digital oldfluencer avatar that connects elderly across generations, gives knowledge about more active and healthy lifestyles and allows to make propositions for public space improvement. The tool connects the public and private sector and is available as a screen in ICA stores and as an innovative AR based experience.
Challenge Area: Ageing population & Covid-19

Team: Elderflower
Annika Holthaus, Eva Kottkamp, Deeqa Odaway, Livia Schaeffer Nonose

ABSTRACT

By 2050 it is estimated that 2 billion people will be aged 60 years old or above. With the recent events of the spread of Covid-19, it has become more striking how vulnerable and delicate it is for the elderly population to prevent infection while living in shared environments such as nursing homes. Thus, it has become increasingly important for the population to maintain healthy and active habits that contribute to independent living for longer periods in their own households.

To address the concerns of the elderly population is a challenge because of the heterogeneity in this demographic group. Using design-thinking as a method, the Elderflower group identified, through user research, an opportunity to overcome communication gaps. By proposing an enhanced communication strategy, based on tools provided by the public and private sector, it aims at connecting different generations to each other and to give knowledge about more active and healthy lifestyles. Using new concepts like ‘Oldfluencers’ and ‘aging career’, it discusses short and long-term strategies for community building inStockholm.