Ines Santos Silva1 ORCID 0000-0003-3373-971X, Luísa Soares2,* ORCID 0000-0002-5373-1320 and Hugo Nicolau3 ORCID 0000-0002-8176-7638
1Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, ITI/LARSyS, Lisboa, Portugal, 2Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal and 3Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, ITI/LARSyS, Lisboa, Portugal
Abstract: Care communities for stroke survivors and their care networks are crucial in offering emotional support and fostering community engagement. While traditional in-person meetings have been beneficial, integrating digital tools offers new opportunities for enhancing these emotional wellbeing support systems. This study introduces a novel emotional sharing system, the “Queijinho” tool (Portuguese word referring to feedback into graphic form of a cheese), integrated into a WhatsApp group to explore the potential of social media in fostering emotional communication and mutual support within a caring community. We examine the shift from traditional face-to-face interactions to a hybrid care model through a participatory approach and a social experiment, integrating the researcher into the community of stroke survivors and their care network. Our analysis highlights how digital tools can sustain daily engagement, facilitate emotional sharing, and strengthen group social cohesion. The findings demonstrate that using the application WhatsApp and the “Queijinho” tool enhances emotional communication and fosters a sense of belonging, transforming traditional care communities into hybrid models that support both emotional wellbeing and ongoing peer support. This work contributes to multidisciplinary insights into the design and implementation of digital tools to support the emotional and social needs of stroke survivors and their care networks.
Keywords: Emotional Wellbeing; Mutual Support; Emotional Sharing; Social Sensemaking; Stroke Survivors; Care Network; Communication; Social Media Platform; Social Wellbeing.