Personas of Older Adults in Social and Health Context

With the global increase in world population and the extension of life expectancy come new challenges. For example, we face the question of how to ensure that an ageing population lives healthy, happy and productive lives. The EU has responded to this situation by supporting the SHAPES project to understand ageing in Europe and to create a platform and system to support independent and healthy ageing in Europe. In order to create a platform and system design that would support older people, the needs of SHAPES users needed to be analysed. The aim of this study was therefore to create personas that detail the characteristics, attitudes, behaviours, needs and characteristics of the target SHAPES user groups. The study used a combination of literature review and qualitative methods to create 12 distinct personas of older adults. These personas range from active, healthy seniors to those struggling with chronic illness, social isolation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The personas created offer valuable insights into the lives of older Europeans and serve as a basis for creating effective support systems.