Open to All: Dementia, Creativity, and Open Ecosystem Innovation

Abstract

In the health arena, open innovation approaches strive to address real-world complexity through driving multi-stakeholder collaborative activities that can better identify and respond to complex health needs. This paper will argue for the value of an open ecosystem innovation approach, one that explores the full implications of what it means to be "open" in a health innovation context. To these ends, the paper will outline the origins of open innovation in the health arena, suggesting that it has become an important site for pushing the limits of open methods and challenging mainstream conceptions of the targets of health innovation. Five guiding principles for open ecosystem innovation will then be proposed, drawing on learning from the Knowledge Exchange Hubs for the Creative Economy funded by the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council. These principles point to a configuration of open activities that are maximally sensitive to (1) knowledge diversity in innovation work; (2) the consequences of adopting an open-orientation across all stages of innovation programming; (3) the value of deepening and broadening the targets of innovation activity; (4) the role of mediation in supporting cross-sector partnerships; and, (5) the importance of operating in an adaptive and sustainable manner in the long-term. A follow-on project from the AHRC Hubs-Dementia Connect-sought to apply this learning to an important health focus: dementia and the role played by creative participation in delivering important health outcomes. Through Dementia Connect, the applicability of open ecosystem innovation thinking was assessed, revealing the conditions under which it might deliver innovation-led improvements to the quality of life for those living with a dementia diagnosis. A detailed blueprint for conducting open ecosystem innovation is then proposed in full-a new and comprehensive response to the complex reality of living with a dementia diagnosis today.

Higher Education Institutions as Strategic Centers for Promoting Social Innovation in Gerontology: Insights from the Senior Innovation Lab Training Initiative

“…Using the challenge-based learning, design thinking, and lean startup approaches enabled the participants to respond to the challenges of the gerontology sector by creating innovative solutions and validating their hypotheses before reaching the final proposal. The results obtained provide support for the benefits of embodying principles of social innovation across different curricula [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…Long-lived societies and their associated characteristics imply rethinking strategies for the challenges they pose. Social gerontology and psychogerontology must promote the search for alternative solutions, new methods, and cooperation between different sectors, such as the education, technology, and social sectors, to solve long-standing age-related problems of the population, with an enormous potential for innovation emerging [ 1 , 2 ].…”

“…The SIL initiative seeks to favor the acquisition of innovation knowledge and tools to develop new solutions to different challenges and opportunities of older adults' population, as well as to identify the importance and the need for social innovation for them. Its goals were as follows: (1) to promote knowledge and awareness in students and professors about the opportunities and challenges posed by the culture of innovation and social entrepreneurship, defined as a process that involves the innovative use and combination of resources to seek opportunities for stimulating social change and addressing social needs [28]; (2) to encourage the acquisition and development of entrepreneurial skills of the participants in the context of innovation; and (3) to facilitate an alliance between HEIs and participating organizations in the gerontology sector to promote knowledge transfer and enhance research and innovation capacities.…”

The role of open innovation in addressing resource constraints in healthcare: a systematic literature review

“…This group includes people suffering from certain medical conditions, patient organisations and family members representing patients as their proxies. Proxies sometimes possess more accurate information than patients (Geenhuizen and Faber, 2015; Rubinelli et al ., 2013; Senior, 2019). Involving the patients reflects the user co-creation stream of open innovation (von Hippel, 1986) to ensure patient-centred solutions and enable shared decision-making care models.…”

The impact of knowledge management on the quality of services in nursing homes

“…The user in long-term care is no longer just a passive recipient of services, but has a significant influence on the way and form in which long-term care services are delivered. A wider view in long-term care pushes the boundaries of participation in innovations in long-term care with users, carers, and community groups in the ongoing changing process of teamwork ( Gabriel et al, 2017 ; Senior, 2019 ). Teams are viewed as knowledge-integrating mechanisms, and it is through teamwork that individuals’ knowledge can be shared and mobilized ( Erhardt, 2011 ; Du et al, 2021 ).…”