Co-design and co-production of ‘Tools for ageing well with traumatic brain injury’

Christina L. Ekegren; Candice McBain; Libby Callaway; Liz Gill; Grahame Simpson; Grainne Cruickshank; Mohit Arora; Ian D. Cameron

doi:10.1071/IB24125

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Co-design and co-production of ‘Tools for ageing well with traumatic brain injury’

Christina L. Ekegren

^A ^* , Candice McBain

^B ^C , Libby Callaway

^A ^D , Liz Gill ^B ^C , Grahame Simpson ^B ^C ^E , Grainne Cruickshank ^A , Mohit Arora ^B ^C and Ian D. Cameron ^B ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, Monash University, 47-49 Moorooduc Highway, Frankston, Vic 3199, Australia.

^B John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, NSW, Australia.

^C The Kolling Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

^D Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University, Frankston, Vic, Australia.

^E Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: christina.ekegren@monash.edu

Handling Editor: Melissa Brunner

Brain Impairment 26, IB24125 https://doi.org/10.1071/IB24125

Submitted: 26 November 2024 Accepted: 18 March 2025 Published: 28 April 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

Despite experiencing complex health needs, there are limited targeted resources to assist older adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to age well. This report aims to describe the co-design and co-production of a tailored resource designed with, and for, older people with TBI, their families/carers, and health professionals working with them.

Methods

A five-stage design-thinking process was followed, incorporating ‘empathising’ with older adults with TBI and their families/carers (stage 1); ‘defining’ health priorities/information needs (stage 2); ‘ideating’ the resource’s content, structure, and design (stage 3); ‘prototyping’ (stage 4); and ‘testing’ (stage 5).

Results

‘Tools for ageing well with traumatic brain injury’ was launched in September 2024, in the format of a printed manual and online web version with downloadable text resources and videos. The resource includes information to help older adults with TBI and their families/carers engage with health services, self-manage health conditions, navigate health care and funding systems, and advocate proactively for health care and support needs.

Conclusions

This study reinforced the value of co-design and co-production within a five-stage design-thinking process in developing a resource that had meaning and relevance for people with brain injury and their families/carers, helping them to proactively plan for ageing well with TBI.

Keywords: acquired brain injury, ageing, co-design, consumer resource, co-production, health information, participatory methods, traumatic brain injury.

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