<p>Older People’s Attitudes And Perspectives Of Welfare Technology In Norway</p>

Abstract

BackgroundIn Norway, as in other European countries, the ageing population is increasing rapidly. Governments seek to enable older people stay in their homes for as long as possible, and welfare technology (WT) has been proposed as a possible solution. Human behaviour modelling (HBM) is a welfare technology that identifies an individual’s behaviour patterns and detects abnormal behaviours, including falls and early signs of dementia. However, the successful development of HBM WT requires the consideration of the older people’s attitudes on this.AimThe present study sought to explore attitudes and perspectives about welfare technology among older people living alone in Norway.MethodsWe used an exploratory, qualitative approach in which semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with five women and four men between the ages of 79 and 91. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsTwo categories and four subcategories were identified: 1) preferences and concerns of welfare technology (i) feeling confident-proactive approach of future technology, (ii) concerns and dilemmas, and 2) reflections of today and tomorrow- awareness of own health (i) feeling healthy, independent, self-sufficient and safe, (ii) facing own ageing- preparedness on unpredictable scenarios. The main theme, welfare technology - a valuable addition to tomorrow’s homes, represents how the participants held positive and proactive attitudes towards the use of WT in their homes.ConclusionParticipants trusted the Norwegian healthcare system and did not rely on their families for care. Independence, autonomy, and feeling safe were essential for all participants, and most participants regarded welfare technology as empowering them to remain in their homes for as long as possible. Participants already confidently used various technologies in their daily lives. Surprisingly, they expressed no concerns about privacy, but some mention concerns about loss of autonomy and dignity. We conclude that a person-centred approach to integrating new WT is necessary.

‘They Just Came with the Medication Dispenser’ – A Qualitative Study of Service User Involvement and Welfare Technology in Public Home Care Services

“…Welfare technologies' impact and consequences for safety, independence and the ability to stay at home Overall, the participants in our study were positive to welfare technology and wanted to use it more because of the feeling of safety it gave them and because it could help them to continue to live an independent life at home, as supported by ndings from other studies (5,20,21). For example use of safety alarms enabled participants to keep doing daily activities without worrying about falling, which is in line with a nding from a study by Stokke (23).…”

“…The goal of using welfare technology is to strengthen individuals' ability to manage for themselves in everyday life and cope with their life situation, preferably in their own homes (20)(21)(22). Moreover, the use of welfare technology comes with an assumption of increased safety for service users and their next of kin (5,23). Welfare technology is expected to contribute to innovation in health care services, with the focus on improved quality and reduced costs (2).…”

“…There may be discrepancies between expectations and the complex reality these technologies are part of (22). Previous studies have shown that the introduction of welfare technology can have bene cial, but also problematic implications and barriers, and not all technology is suitable for service users (5,25). Examples of barriers to the implementation and use of welfare technology include attitudes and resistance from users (5, 26), limited knowledge, competence and information (27)(28)(29), instability of internet access and the cost of software (27,30).…”

“…This highlights the need for user involvement by end-users in the procurement process if the home care service is to acquire new technology that actually meets service users' needs. Furthermore, other studies (5,40) point out that, health professionals have a responsibility to follow-up what service users experience as important.…”

“…It has been a goal during the last two decades to enable the elderly to take care of themselves in their homes for as long as possible (2,4). Remaining in a familiar environment is expected to increase independence, is cost-effective and helps the elderly to maintain their health (4,5). The implementation of welfare technology in public home care services is a response to the challenge posed by the increasing number of elderly people with care needs (6).…”