A qualitative design with a focused ethnographic approach was employed (34). Audio recordings of sessions in which older persons received in-home support for their digital needs from a digital coach were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (35, 36).

The study was conducted in a medium-sized Swedish municipality. The Digital Coach Service was funded and operated by the municipality and existed independently of the present study. At the time of data collection, a few municipalities had implemented similar initiatives. The service is advertised via the municipality’s website and in the local newspaper and is available to all residents aged 65 and older. It is free of charge and can be used multiple times. Older persons contact the municipality themselves to request a visit from a digital coach.

Initially, contact was made with the municipality’s Public Health Sciences Unit, which coordinated communication among the digital coach, the municipality’s information technology department, and the researchers (EBK and MB). Convenience sampling was applied (37), determined by occasions when both the researcher (EBK) and the digital coach were available to conduct in-home support visits. Persons aged 65 years and older who contacted the municipality for support from a digital coach and were able to speak and understand Swedish were included.

Recruitment began when an older person contacted the digital coach to request support. Following the initial request to participate, the researcher (EBK) contacted each participant and provided information about the study, both verbally and in writing.

In total, 14 persons were invited to participate. Of these, 12 (five women and seven men), aged between 68 and 92 years, consented to take part. The participants’ homes were located either in the municipality’s city or a few kilometres outside it. Most lived alone, with only three residing with a spouse.

The support sessions were conducted in the older person’s home in a room where their digital devices were placed on a table. During the sessions, the older person and the digital coach sat next to each other, while the researcher (EBK) was seated a few metres away.

Data collection took place during June–December 2021. Each support session lasted approximately 1.5 to 2 h and was audio-visually recorded using a camera operated by the researcher (EBK). For this study, only the audio component was used, specifically the voices of the older persons and the digital coach, which were transcribed and analysed. The researcher (EBK) adopted a non-participatory approach during the sessions, positioning themselves to observe and record the ongoing support activity while hearing the conversation between the older person and the digital coach. Observing on site allowed the researcher to witness the coaching session directly, rather than relying solely on the recorded audio.

The analysis included audio recordings of 12 support sessions conducted by the same digital coach with 12 different older persons. The recordings were transcribed verbatim and aggregated for analysis using reflexive thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (35, 36). Reflexive thematic analysis seeks to describe a subject in a condensed manner by identifying how different codes relate and cluster together. This flexible method was chosen for its ability to systematically identify and analyse patterns (themes) within qualitative data. The analysis process followed the method’s six phases, with a deliberate focus on the researcher’s reflexivity to account for the subjective nature of preunderstanding and interpretation.

The researcher’s (EBK) presence during data collection contributed to contextual understanding, which was acknowledged as part of the reflexive thematic analysis process (36) and the focused ethnographic approach (34). The analysis began with familiarisation with the data, which started during data collection and continued when audio files were extracted from the audio-visual recordings prior to verbatim transcription. The researcher (EBK) repeatedly listened to the audio files and read the transcripts, recording reflections as comments in the text documents. This initial analysis was discussed with the co-authors to ensure a shared understanding of the data. Once a comprehensive sense of the material was established, the data were examined to derive codes related to the study’s aim, which were compiled in an overview table. These codes formed the building blocks of the analysis. To enhance trustworthiness (35, 36), the researcher (EBK) reviewed the codes through analytical and reflexive discussions with the co-authors.

Through active and engaged reflection by EBK, in collaboration with the co-authors, initial themes were generated from the coded data. These themes were subsequently discussed and further refined together with the co-authors. EBK reviewed the initial themes in relation to the text and codes, further developing them through an increasingly interpretive analysis and ongoing discussion with the co-authors.

In the penultimate phase, an active and iterative process was undertaken to refine the themes in order to better illuminate and convey the overarching narrative. This involved ongoing discussions with the co-authors to carefully consider and adjust the theme names, ensuring they accurately reflected the evolving understanding of the data. Sub-themes were also assigned descriptive names.

Finally, during the writing of the results, a last opportunity was taken to review the analysis, themes, sub-themes, text, and quotations to ensure their relevance to the study’s aim. Consistent with reflexive thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke (35, 36), the analytical process was not linear but iterative, involving continuous movement between the whole text and its parts.

This study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Dnr 2021-03524) and conducted in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (38). The participants received both oral and written information about the study, including that participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw at any time without providing a reason or facing any consequences. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

All collected data have been coded, anonymised, and securely stored. These include the audio-visual recordings and physical materials, as well as audio files and transcribed texts, in designated data storage locations.

The first theme addresses the basic prerequisites for developing digital competence and includes two sub-themes: ‘hands-on support’ and ‘tools for memory support’. This theme relates to restoring the functionality of digital devices to ensure that they can be accessed and used effectively. Support involved hands-on support with troubleshooting digital hardware and software on the older persons’ own devices and applications. It also included the creation of tools for memory support, aimed to facilitate memory retention and enable individuals to independently replicate digital tasks in the future.

The second theme included two sub-themes: ‘building a relationship’ and ‘creating conditions for equal voices’, reflecting aspects of support shaped through personalised interaction in which both parties respectfully allowed each other space to speak. This theme highlights that building a relationship during the support session was a prerequisite for the older person to reveal their digital needs and for the digital coach to understand the needs expressed. Small talk during short breaks facilitated interpersonal connection and mutual understanding of digital needs. Additionally, when the digital coach acknowledged and praised the older person’s existing digital competence, it created an opportunity to strengthen the person’s sense of being knowledgeable. The interaction between the older person and the digital coach were characterised by alternating control over the support agenda, fostering conditions for equal voices and enabling mutual influence and shared decision-making.

The third theme included two sub-themes: ‘listening and responding’ and ‘sharing adapted knowledge’. The support was provided with the older persons’ digital needs at the centre and was expressed by both parties through respectful listening and by responding to questions and reflections. The support was also facilitated by the digital coach continuously sharing knowledge adapted to the older persons’ digital needs during the ongoing activities. The older persons demonstrated a willingness to reveal gaps in their knowledge, to actively pose questions, and to use digital terminology such as ‘edit contact’ and ‘internet browser’. Such openness indicates a readiness to engage in learning processes. This further suggests that both listening and responding and sharing adapted knowledge were valuable characteristics in addressing digital challenges and fostering digital competence.

The results of this study offer insights into how one-to-one support was provided to older persons in their homes by a municipality-employed digital coach. The findings highlight the importance of supporting digital competence in ways that meet each older person’s individual needs by creating an adapted and inclusive learning environment. The main characteristics of the support that emerged were direct support and memory aid, delivered through hands-on support and the provision of tools to support memory. Building a relationship was essential, along with fostering mutual influence in the support process by creating conditions for equal voice. A foundational characteristic of the support was to place the person’s own digital needs at the centre, achieved through listening and responding and through sharing adapted knowledge.

The premise was that the individual older persons’ varying digital needs, circumstances, and preferences were at focus which was facilitated through home-based one-to-one support. Previous studies have shown that older persons are at different levels of digital competence (3, 17, 27), and the present study confirms the importance of tailoring support to each individual’s digital needs. The initial impression when older persons request support for digital needs may mistakenly be understood as a need for technical assistance only; however, providing appropriate support requires careful attention to their actual needs (18, 39). The present study confirms that the support included many activities beyond technical assistance, such as relationship building, knowledge sharing, listening, and responding.

The digital coach intervention can be viewed as an example of education for lifelong learning (8). Lifelong learning is relevant to all people throughout their lives and serves different purposes. It can exist in various spaces, places and contexts and encompasses formal, non-formal, and informal education (29, 40, 41). The type of lifelong learning described in the present study is non-formal, as the digital coach service is provided by a municipality and delivered in the older person’s home with the intention of supporting digital competence.

Anchored in Fletcher and Mullen’s conceptualisation of coaching as a collaborative and learner-centred process (20), the study identified the provision of digital support for older persons as a coaching-oriented approach. This involves tailoring support to the individual’s level of digital competence, thereby fostering improved digital competence and independence (7, 21). By addressing the need for enhanced digital competence in a population group with below-average levels of such competence, the intervention contributes to bridging the digital divide (2, 3) and countering digital ageism (27).

The characteristics identified in the present study, described through the three overarching themes, illustrate how support was adapted according to older persons’ digital needs. These needs were addressed in relation to the older persons’ individual digital competence, understood through the three levels of the digital divide: access, skills, and meaningful use (2, 3). Receiving direct support and memory aid through hands-on support and tools for memory support enabled the older persons to use their digital devices in ways that met their own needs. Previous studies have identified similar needs for practical support, particularly in relation to older persons’ varying levels of digital competence—such as using digital devices and the internet—as well as the need for tools to help remember pertinent and essential details, especially in the context of age-related memory changes (7, 18, 19). During the support session, both the digital coach and the older person took memory notes, and the latter was encouraged to use a notebook for passwords. Memory support has also been shown to help train cognitive abilities for future digital needs (7, 39), thereby fostering sustained independent use of digital devices beyond the support session. The hands-on support involved both ‘fixing’ digital problems—meaning resolving the issues—and carrying out practical tasks, such as installing an application that the older person wished to use but could not install independently. This hands-on support enabled the older persons to gain access to their own digital devices. Other studies similarly highlight the importance of providing support with digital devices to facilitate access (18, 19). Not having access to functional digital devices relates to the first level of the digital divide, which concerns the basic prerequisite of being able to use digital technology (3).

However, access to functional digital devices alone does not guarantee the ability to use them independently; it also requires digital competence, corresponding to the second level of the digital divide (2, 3). In the present study, hands-on support was supplemented with explanations when deemed appropriate—for example, when the older person received support in understanding the keyboard. Furthermore, the study found that relationship-based characteristics supporting digital competence were essential. These characteristics were realised through relationship-building and by creating conditions that enabled equal voice within the support process. This, in turn, created a permissive learning environment adapted to the individual’s digital needs and current level of digital competence. Other studies have similarly highlighted the importance of creating customised learning environments to promote the development of digital competence among older persons (18, 42). Conversations about the older person’s interests and digital needs contributed to building the relationship and deepening the digital coach’s understanding of the older person’s digital habits. As discussed by Fossum (23), communication between the older person and the digital coach constitutes a crucial component, encompassing both the manner in which the conversation is conducted and the nature of the interaction that develops between them. The importance of relationship-building has also been demonstrated in previous studies as a means of helping older persons overcome barriers to digital competence (7, 43).

Having mutual influence over the support session was manifested through the opportunity to interrupt each other and to change the topic of conversation when needed. This flexibility enabled the older person to develop digital competence during the ongoing support sessions. Flexible learning environments have proven instrumental in overcoming barriers to developing digital competences and improving digital confidence among older persons (21, 44).

In the present study, a central characteristic was identified: to place the older person’s own digital needs at the centre. This characteristic involves communication through conversation, characterised by reciprocal listening and responding. Furthermore, the role of the digital coach encompasses being attentive and sharing knowledge adapted to the person’s needs. Mutual active listening and responsiveness enabled more adopted support for the older person, as illustrated in the results section when the digital coach clarified the meaning of ‘editing a contact’ by using the older person’s own contact list as a reference point. Previous studies have indicated that integrating new information with existing knowledge can enhance comprehension and motivation among older persons, particularly when the content aligns with personally meaningful aspects of daily life (7, 45). The present study also demonstrated that support could be expanded by sharing adapted knowledge relevant to the support session and by focusing on the older persons’ digital needs and their ability and willingness to improve their digital competence.

In this study, the older person’s home emerged as a learning environment conducive to enhancing digital competence, as it is the place where they live their everyday lives and use their digital devices. In this context, digital needs can be adapted to the digital devices available to the older person and to their intended use of these technologies. The non-formal learning environment suggests that both space and place are important for older persons to develop digital competence and digital independence (7, 41). Previous research also highlights the importance of the learning environment in lifelong learning (22). By receiving adapted support with digital needs and devices in the home environment—the space and place where the older person lives and learns in everyday life—older persons are afforded opportunities to develop digital competence in ways that enhance their ability for meaningful use, thereby addressing the third level of the digital divide (3, 29, 41).

To answer the aim of the study, a qualitative design with a focused ethnographic approach was used (34). This choice was considered appropriate due to the limited previous knowledge in the research area of digital competence development for older persons (7), a critical concern within public health research. To obtain a holistic understanding and enable in-depth analysis, the researcher (EBK) was present in the room while the support sessions were recorded. This emic perspective provided an opportunity to understand the support session in its everyday, natural context. When interpreting the transcribed texts, an etic perspective was adopted to contribute to a holistic picture. Gradually, the researcher’s understanding of the digital coach service and the characteristics of the support increased. This pre-understanding was acknowledged and critically reflected upon by the researcher (EBK) to avoid influencing the ongoing support sessions (36, 46). The use of convenience sampling (37) limited the sample to older persons who actively sought support from the municipality’s Digital Coach Service. Although this represents the population of older persons who actually do make use of the service, it may restrict the transferability of the findings to other groups. In line with Braun and Clarke (36, 47) the findings should be understood as situated and shaped by the sampling strategy and the researchers’ involvement in data generation, consistent with a reflexive thematic analytic framework, rather than as methodological biases. To maintain credibility and enable transferability, the sampling process is transparently described in the Method section.

We adopted Braun and Clarke’s rigorous approach as a foundation for ensuring a trustworthy analysis (35). To provide structure and establish trustworthiness—including credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability (48)—Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis (35, 36) was employed. The analysis process followed the method’s six phases, with a conscious focus on the researcher’s reflexivity to ensure that interpretations were well-grounded in the data.

The study’s credibility was ensured by working systematically and adopting an etic perspective on the text, which involves maintaining an analytical distance to allow for structured interpretation. At the same time, this required reflexive engagement with the researcher’s own role, acknowledging how it shapes the reading of the material. The use of illustrative quotations from the data helped to ground emerging themes in participants’ own voices, enhancing both transparency and depth in the analysis (35, 36, 46), and contributed to the study’s confirmability. Furthermore, in line with Braun and Clarke’s approach to thematic analysis (35, 36), we aimed for dependability by clearly describing the analysis process and for transferability by providing a detailed description of the study context.

A limitation of the study is that all support sessions were conducted by the same digital coach. On the other hand, this offered consistency. Note that, since the participants constitute a group who, for various reasons, chose to seek support for their digital needs, they may differ from the general population of older persons in their willingness to receive digital support. However, the participants did constitute a heterogeneous group in terms of age (68–92 years), cohabitational status, area of residence, and an equal distribution of women and men. While sample size (12 participants) may be regarded as a limitation, this study was guided by its specific aim and prioritised information power over saturation, focusing on analytic depth and relevance rather than representativeness (47). It might also be considered that data collection coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited opportunities for physical participation and increased reliance on digital solutions in everyday life. However, as digitalisation continues to expand beyond the pandemic, the need for support to enhance digital competence remains (32).