The Health and Adult Development Lab at the University of British Columbia aims to promote health by better understanding the motivators, facilitators, and obstacles to health behaviors and an active engagement with life. With older adults as key partners, we aim to capture the everyday experiences that draw adults towards health promoting activities through participatory research using iPad minis while at the same time empowering them to learn new technological skills. The knowledge gained will inform feasible, evidence-based implementation strategies for health promotion that reflect the needs and diversity of older adults leading to healthier, happier, and more engaged lives.
To help achieve this goal, we strive to:
- Identify the social and motivational resources that allow older adults to optimize their own health and well-being.
- Better understand how social partners such as spouses promote each other’s health by collaborating on everyday tasks.
- Engage in dialog with allied health disciplines and community partners to generate outcomes that matter.
- Amplify voices of people who are often not well represented in research.