Perceptions on technology for volunteer respite care for bedridden elders in Chile

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Informal caregivers of bedridden elders need a respite. One form of obtaining a respite is through volunteers who are contacted by means of information and communication technology (ICT). Method: A qualitative study was carried out in a low-income district in Santiago, Chile, to learn about how caregivers of bedridden elders perceive the possibility of using ICT to access this respite. In-depth interviews were carried out and transcribed verbatim, then analysed using open coding. Results: The results reveal that caregivers are willing to receive a volunteer in their home and use ICT to communicate with them, although a discrepancy exists between the use of devices connected to the Internet and feature phones. Conclusion: This study concludes that informal caregivers of bedridden elders have a favourable disposition towards accessing a respite system by means of ICT based on a peer-to-peer economy.

KEYWORDS:

• Caregiving
• IT
• respite
• volunteer
• qualitative research

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Microsoft FUSELABS for the 2015 Peer Economy Research Award that funded this research. This work was also partially funded by CONICYT PCHA/Doctorado Nacional/2013-21130661 and CONICYT/FONDECYT/1150365. We also would like to thank primary healthcare center and the caregivers that participated in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a 2015 FUSE Labs Peer Economy Research Award.

Notes on contributors

Esmeralda Abarca

Esmeralda Abarca, RN, MSc Nursing from Pontificia Universidad CatÓlica de Chile. Adjunct instructor at School of Nursing, Pontificia Universidad CatÓlica de Chile. Her research interests are respite care, caregivers, complementary medicine, and grief.

Solange Campos

Solange Campos, PhD is Associate Professor at School of Nursing, Pontificia Universidad CatÓlica de Chile. Her research is in the self management of chronic illness and support to informal caregivers.

Valeria Herskovic

Valeria Herskovic, PhD is Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Pontificia Universidad CatÓlica de Chile. Her work is in the area of human-centered computing, especially focused on aging, health and wellbeing.

Carolina Fuentes

Carolina Fuentes, MSc and PhD in Computer Science from Pontificia Universidad CatÓlica de Chile, Chile. Currently holds a position as Research Associate at the Mixed Reality Lab at the School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. Her research is related to human-computer interaction, internet of things and pervasive healthcare.