Never Stop Creating: A Preliminary Inquiry in Older Adults' Everyday Innovations

Participation in activities of personal interest and passion facilitates older adults' health and well-being. In this study, we investigated older adults' experiences related to their engagement and development of personal interests. We found out that older adults actively generated creative concepts and turned those ideas into innovative activities and artifacts, which positively revitalized a community, sustained an organization, and supported other people. Although any activity may be beneficial for older adults' health and well-being, we argue that everyday innovations play a particularly important role, and present an important opportunity to enhance their quality of life. We conclude by proposing design strategies to support everyday innovations to promote healthy aging.