Reframing Ageing in Place: The Elder Persona Research

The challenge

While ageing in place is a key policy objective, implementation remains limited by siloed service design across health, transport, housing, and digital access. Current systems rarely reflect the interconnected realities of older people’s daily interactions. Rather than viewing older adults as a homogeneous group, this research recognises their diverse needs across their socio-economic conditions, digital capabilities, and social ties through the development and delivery of service systems that respond accordingly.  

The solution

Using co-design workshops, the development of personas, journey mapping and surveys, the research team engaged communities in Woolgoolga and the broader Coffs Harbour local government area to capture the lived experiences of older Australians. This work led to the development of elder personas that reflect the diversity of older Australians, providing a practical foundation for service (re) design.

As a result, a structured framework was developed across six integrated pillars: transport and mobility; food and nutrition; home modification and maintenance; digital inclusion; social connection; and access to healthcare. These six pillars operate as an interconnected system, where changes in one area influence outcomes in others, reflecting the real-world complexity of ageing in place.

Outcome and Impact

This research offers a scalable model for rethinking how ageing-in-place service systems are designed, coordinated, and delivered. It shifts the focus from individual services to whole-of-system performance, enabling coordinated, locally responsive solutions. It also provides communities with a platform to shape their own ageing strategies and offers a framework for measuring service value across organisations, moving beyond purely transactional metrics.

The artefacts produced from this research include digital persona cards which have helped with the design of a locally deliverable digital inclusion program. Lived experience insights have driven tangible service innovations, including programs piloted by the Older Women's Network at the 2026 NSW Seniors Festival — supported by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice — covering art for people with arthritis, a cooking program for those living alone, and evening transport for seniors who avoid driving at night.

Early evaluation shows increased digital confidence, greater participation in community-based activities, and the emergence of new locally delivered services. The Elder Persona framework offers policymakers with a practical tool for cross-portfolio coordination, enabling alignment across health, transport, housing and community services.