Digital circles of support: meeting the information needs of older people

The UK Government strategy for aging in the 21st century challenges conceptions of older people as passive recipients of care and promotes their engagement as active citizens. The strategy includes a commitment to test services which embody these principles with a range of innovative pilot projects. This paper summarises research on older people's information needs and use which informed the design for one of these projects, Leeds Link-Age Plus. The research explored the complex circumstances around which older people access and use social and community information-a topic that has received limited attention in the literature. It considers how the use of informal networks for securing information, advice and advocacy can be supported by technology literate mediators, who may be older people located within local community or voluntary organisations. Emphasising the mediator in design facilitates social contacts, directly addresses issues of trust and can reduce the chance of causing distress dealing with complex information. A model is suggested for using emerging technology to introduce new ways in which information for older adults can be improved by digital 'circles of support' - a form of social network where mediators collaborate to create and share self-authored content.