Evaluating and improving the inclusivity and accessibility of a community-based frailty intervention portal

Frailty can make a person’s physical, functional, social, and mental health worse, and older people who have frailty cope less well with a minor sickness or injury. After a hospital stay, recovery for older people with frailty can be difficult, and they need to be supported to work towards their personal goals for recovery once they are home.

The PACIFIC research study addresses “Can a combined package of treatments and local programs (that we know work based on evidence) make life better for older people with frailty who are going home from hospital?” The project intervention will be co-designed with input from older adults and those who take care of them (family members, doctors and nurses, and people from community organizations in Hamilton).

One key component of the project is selecting a digital patient portal to make it easier for participants and their care persons to track their activities and to communicate. Using information gathered during co-design sessions, we will select an existing portal that best meets the needs of older people.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles will be applied, to ensure the portal includes resources and tools to support participants of all walks of life.