Information Technology in Healthy Ageing (ITHA)

ITHA's starting point is a simple but decisive observation: the digitization of our societies is accelerating, affecting all generations, including the elderly. This technological trajectory can nurture social ties and health... or, on the contrary, reinforce vulnerabilities (digital divides, social inequalities, obstacles to access to care, territorial disparities). ITHA's ambition is therefore to model, in a nuanced and empirically-based way, the effects of digital technology on the social ties of the elderly - seen here as a major determinant of health - in order to identify, on the one hand, uses and conditions that are genuinely favorable to health, and, on the other, configurations at risk that call for adjustments in public policy, healthcare organization and territorial planning. The project assumes a posture "beyond the for/against digital", seeking robust, inclusive and sustainable digital trajectories, compatible with planetary limits and centered on real human needs.

Research areas

• Health via social ties & social justice. It asks: for whom, under what conditions and in what contexts do digital uses strengthen (or weaken) seniors' social relationships? The focus is on differentiated mechanisms along social fault lines (cultural/digital capital, economic resources, socialization to uses...).
• Health via the social link & fair organization of care. This project explores the "right place" of digital technology in care trajectories (formal and informal), avoiding a normative approach to "digital exclusion". The aim is to identify sustainable devices that take account of social inequalities in health, and support communities in the way they "link up".
• Health via social ties & spatial justice. It integrates space: how does digital technology extend (or restrict) the territory of the social bond? How do physical and digital spaces fit together to produce solidarity... or vulnerability? What territorial levers (infrastructures, services, skills) are needed for a responsible and inclusive digital environment that promotes healthy aging?

Players involved in the project

The main promoter is Félix Scholtes (GIGA Neurosciences - Nervous system disorders and therapy).

The partner promoters are : Nathan Charlier (CARE ESPRIst), Didier Giet (Soins primaires et Santé), Nicolas Neysen (HEC Transformation digitale et Département des sciences de la santé publique), Gautier Pirotte (IRSS - Institut de Recherche en Sciences Sociales) and Serge Schmitz (UR Sphères).

Objectives

At the end of the process, ITHA will deliver :

• actionable recommendations (public policies, players in the field, care organization) for a responsible and inclusive digital environment that supports seniors' social ties;
• a mapping of digital needs and trajectories, based on quantitative and qualitative data;
• a "Senior Readiness Level" tool to assess the suitability of digital devices for seniors;
• the setting up of Participatory Observatories to ensure the long-term co-construction of knowledge and the continuous improvement of practices.

ITHA is a trans-disciplinary, participatory project that provides tools for public decision-making and action in the field, so that digital technology connects rather than weakens, and so that healthy ageing is based on living, fair and territorially inclusive social links.