[Digital participation with the help of participatively developed information and counselling concepts - A...

With the increasing digitalization of rural care structures, teaching digital skills to senior citizens is becoming more important. Telemedicine services, for example, offer the potential to compensate for a lack of access to specialist medical care. On the other hand, there is a lack of information services that enable access and support older people's digital application skills. The aim of the study is to explore the perspectives of senior citizens on information and advice services on the topic of digitalization in health and care provision and thus to initiate a starting point for a participatory research project.

Exploratory, guideline-based focus groups were conducted with senior citizens in selected rural communities. The evaluation was carried out using content analysis according to Gläser and Laudel (2010) as part of an iterative data collection process.

N = 21 people took part in the focus groups. Senior citizens perceive a clear decline in the municipal infrastructure, which affects the security of health care provision. They perceive digitalization in health and care provision as problematic and are concerned about being digitally disconnected. There is a lack of practical experience in everyday life and a lack of access to information. Gaining information on care-related topics should be made possible in a directional form through personal encounters.

There is a lack of tangible access to digitalization in health and care provision for senior citizens in rural regions. This means that aspects of the digital transformation are often negatively connoted due to a lack of exchange formats. Positive everyday experiences and continuous offers for digitally supported health care could broaden the general interest that exists.