Publications and Scholarship
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2013
Keywords
older adults, Sheridan Elder Research Centre
Abstract
This participatory research project explored the experience of creating and delivering an elder circle program in an online format as well as investigating the benefits to the participants. Elder circles are facilitated, elder-centred small closed groups of older adults who explore collaboratively the experience of growing old and living in old age. The researcher, with the help of her participant co-researchers, successfully translated a face-to-face elder circle model to an online format. The six participants, aged 70 to 87, met online without previously knowing each other and for six weeks engaged in facilitated asynchronous discussion on a secure dedicated website. The online format was shown to be an effective alternative to face-to-face delivery of an elder circle, with significant – even transformative – benefits to the participants. The report presents an overview of the process of creating and delivering an online elder circle, participants’ reflections on their learning and the benefits received, key considerations for the effective implementation of the online program, and recommendations for future research.
Faculty
Research Centres
School
Sheridan Centre for Elder Research (SERC)
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Copyright
© Sheridan
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Original Publication Citation
Medcalf, T., Tsotsos, L., & Spadafora, P. (2013). Online elder circles: A guide to their creation and benefits. [Report]. Oakville: Sheridan Elder Research Centre (SERC).
SOURCE Citation
Medcalf, Trudy; Tsotsos, Lia; and Spadafora, Pat, "Online Elder Circles: A Guide to their Creation and Benefits" (2013). Publications and Scholarship. 1.
https://source.sheridancollege.ca/centres_elder_publ/1
