Community Connection Challenge – Digital Discovery Sessions
Between April and June 2025, the Living Lab partnered with three digital innovators to explore how their applications might support connection, communication, and storytelling with older adults.
Each workshop brought together community members including older adults, carers, and aged care professionals to share their everyday experiences of connection. Participants then reflected on the role these applications might play in supporting that connection, highlighting opportunities and challenges from an end-user perspective.
The SeniorsChannel
Workshops: 30 April or 1 May 2025
The SeniorsChannel provides live and on-demand content designed to reduce social isolation.
In these sessions, participants spoke about what makes digital engagement enjoyable and meaningful. They valued shared activities such as trivia, music, and cultural programming, and highlighted the reassurance of familiar, TV-style formats. They also raised questions about accessibility and the importance of authentic connection.
Visit The SeniorsChannel
A Moment With
Workshops: 8 May 2025
A Moment With is a platform for capturing and sharing stories through voice and video.
Participants reflected on the importance of memory, legacy, and intergenerational connection. They discussed how hearing a loved one’s voice or preserving a story could strengthen family bonds. Privacy, longevity of digital records, and the balance between being present and recording memories were also key themes.
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Rel8.app
Workshops: 29 May or 3 June 2025
Rel8.app is a communication platform linking older adults, families, and care providers across aged care settings.
In the workshops, participants considered current challenges in family communication and care updates. They emphasised the importance of trust, privacy, and genuine communication, and noted that digital tools should support human relationships without creating extra burden for care staff.
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What we learned
The Discovery Sessions highlighted the importance of community voices in shaping digital innovation.
Key themes:
Trust and safety matter when sharing personal stories and updates
Simplicity and familiarity help build confidence in using digital tools
Technology should strengthen, not replace, human connection
By centring lived experience, these workshops showed how digital tools can support connection in ways that feel practical, respectful, and meaningful.
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