Getting Older - an online hub with life-affirming approach
Published: 21 February 2023
Haemophilia Foundation Australia’s (HFA) Getting Older Hub (‘The Hub’) brings together information about ageing with a bleeding disorder, along with guidance and links to relevant services. The Hub also highlights ways to enjoy life as you grow older, showing how this can be a reality through articles and personal stories about travel, recreation and strategies to stay active and live well.
An online hub needed to share information
The Hub is an outcome of the HFA Getting Older needs assessment report. In recent years, advances in treatment and care have resulted in a generation of people with bleeding disorders who are the first to live into their senior years and as a result are living in uncharted territory.
In the consultation for the report, the first thing that the community made clear was that ‘ageing’ was not a very helpful word, as it was perceived to have negative connotations. They preferred ‘getting older’.
The term ‘early ageing’ is also an issue. Many relatively young people with bleeding disorders live with complications that usually come with growing older, such as joint and muscle damage, arthritis, pain and mobility problems.
Overall, the report showed consensus in the need for more information about getting older with a bleeding disorder, particularly for people aged 45 years and over. That then sparked the question — how do we share this information?
More than 85 per cent of older people who completed the HFA Getting Older survey said they used a computer daily and most used it to access information online. Asked about information on getting older, most preferred to get it from HFA and further consultation confirmed the HFA website would be the best place to locate an online hub for this community.
A renewed focus and life-affirming approach
The Hub was first launched in June 2020 and, to ensure it was still relevant and meaningful, HFA undertook an evaluation through a community survey in late 2021. The Hub and approach was received very positively, with comments such as, ‘Easy to access and to navigate around the site.’ and ‘The Getting Older Hub has real people talking about their conditions’. However, feedback indicated it needed a more upbeat look and feel, images of younger people, and personal stories and information on more ‘light-hearted’ topics.
Based on this feedback, the Getting Older Hub was reworked and relaunched with a new landing page in July 2022. The update includes new articles with positive and practical information and stories about activities like travel, exercise and staying active and connected. Images reflect the range of ages in this community.
Sharing stories and strategies is crucial for living well as you get older with a bleeding disorder, says HFA President, Gavin Finkelstein. The Getting Older Hub is a great way for our community to connect and share what they have learned as well as find out what they need to know.
Last reviewed: March 2023