Originally published on mediablends.com April 21 2015

Summary: digital technology is increasingly important for Living Well in the Digital Age. Here's suggestions on why funders and policy makers should review existing resources.

There was lively discussion on Twitter last week about why the Centre for Ageing Better's consultation strategy has no mention of technology and digital innovation.

I'm drafting a blog post on the topic, and asked the Centre, and Big Lottery Fund who are providing a £50 million endowment, for some comments. In doing that it seems only fair to offer some ideas on why technology may be important to funders and policy makers, so I've rapidly pulled together some resources from our exploration into Ageing Better and Living Well in the Digital Age. More suggestions welcome.

• Storify of discussion about the Centre for Ageing Better consultation * Exploration into Living Well in the Digital Age, and Ageing Better
• Resources from our Ageing Better exploration - extracts below
• Centre for Ageing Better
• Centre for Ageing Better consultation paper

I suggest that researchers, funders and policy makers in the ageing field would benefit from reviewing these issues and resources:

• To avoid re-inventing the wheel in commisioning research or funding activities
• To identify opportunities for collaboration
• To shape their policy recommendations

See Baroness Lane-Fox for a positive view of the Internet, Andrew Keen and other sceptics for the downsides. Review our exploration into Ageing Better Innovation, and the resources we have gathered. The SEEFA symposium shows how people in the ageing field view technology.

• Martha Lane Fox lecture
• Review of The Internet is not the answer
• Exploration into Living Well in the Digital Age, and Ageing Better Innovation
• Exploration resources
• Ageing and the use of the Internet paper from Nominet Trust
• SEEFA symposium report

The Department for Communities and Local Government has used older people and ageing as the first area to explore in digital service transformation and engagement. Cabinet Office is promoting innovation. Local services will become digital.

• Open Policy Making promises engagement as well as digital innovation
• DCLG Grey Cells model
• Local government will be expected to save millions through digital services
• Government is Scotland is showing what's possible online

Organisations providing direct services in the ageing field find technology a hot topic. Older people will expect those serving their needs to be engaged as well.

• In The Silver Economy: Tech sector taps surge of connected boomers the Financial Times reports on growing adoption of the Internet by over-54s, the social networks they use, and the tools that are available.
• The MyAgeingParent site has an extensive section on the best technology for older people, covering devices, apps, and safety online.
• The SilverSurfers network also has a technology section
• AgeUK explains how to make the most of the Internet
• Social media is beneficial to well-being - Guardian reports

  ### Digital technology will be increasingly important for health, wellbeing and social care

Service innovation, the drive for cost savings, and consumer interest will make digital innovation increasingly important.

• Shirley Ayres argues for a long term care revolution and offers more resources here
• Tony Watts, a writer and chair of the SouthWest Forum on Ageing, explains in his keynote to the Ages 2.0 conference how integrating digital innovation for healthcare, and actions to support digital innovation, could have dual benefits.
• The Campaign to End Loneliness ran a workshop: Technology: will it ever be a ‘fix’ for loneliness that yielded advice on helping older people adopt technology that might be helpful, and a report that included a range of tools and activities.
• The Connecting Care project provides tech advice for social care providers and also a round-up of specialist personal care networks and tools.
• UK onlines centres are helping people use online health resources .

Discussion at the SEEFA symposium in January 2015 confirmed that many organisations in the ageing field are failing to engage with digital technology - partly through lack of skills, and partly because of cultural attitudes

• SEEFA symposium identifies challenges to innovation in Ageing Better – it’s culture as much as tech
• Even organisations promoting digital inclusion aren't using the technology, says John Popham

Local councils and partnerships will this year be faced with the growing challenge of deciding what technology solutions to develop and promote for care, health and wellbeing in their community.

• Practical ideas for making sense of technology in Care, Living Well and #AgeingBetter * Supporting paper

• The UK innovation agency NESTA has developed a framework for supporting innovation in ageing, a living map of projects, and an ageing well challenge fund. Here’s the NESTA site and a blog post
• The Nominet Trust has compiled the Social Tech Guide “to recognise the pioneers who are using digital technology to make a real difference to millions of lives”, including a section on health.
• The Trust’s Knowledge Centre details research and projects that the Trust has supported, including work on older people, well-being, and life transitions.

If you have further suggestions on why digital technology is important in this field, and/or resources, please send to David Wilcox david@socialreporter.com, tweet @davidwilcox, or comment.