Approaches to welfare technology in municipal eldercare

Abstract

Welfare technologies have been proposed in Scandinavian countries as way to ensure accessible and efficient care to those who need it. Significant investments have been made to develop and deploy these technologies. This study used a multiple case study design to explore how welfare technologies are implemented in Swedish eldercare practices. The multiple case study generated detailed knowledge and insights from a broad perspective on the employment of welfare technologies within various municipalities. The study revealed three approaches for integrating welfare technologies into municipal eldercare services: as an end-product, as a project, and as a strategy. Findings indicate that municipal welfare technology practices are diverse and multifaceted, yet implementing such practices is a complex process. This study proposes a focus shift, from technological solutions to organizational context, eldercare personnel, and care receivers.

Keywords:

• Implementation methods
• municipal eldercare
• welfare technology

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank professor Britt Östlund, who has contributed by securing the funding for this research. I would also like to thank all my voluntary respondents and anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

The author declares that this research has no commercial or financial affiliations that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare [grant numbers 01755, 2017] and partially financed by the Knowledge Foundation through the Internet of Things and People research profile.

Notes on contributors

Susanne Frennert

Susanne Frennert works as senior lecturer/associate professor at the Faculty of Technology and Society at Malmö University. Susanne Frennert’s expertise lies in the field of Human Computer Interaction, Human Robot Interaction, cognitive science, human factors and participatory design—involving older people in the design process of social robots and healthcare technologies to better match their needs, wants, and desires.