The digitalisation of care always has unexpected effects
According to the findings, care services for older people have become an arena of digital innovations where different devices and applications have a range of impacts on the lives of both the older people and the care workers.
From the care workers’ perspective, a smartphone can serve, for example, as a tool for recording work tasks and communicating, but also for prompting stimulating activities for the residents of a nursing home.
“Research on the digitalisation of care services shows that the introduction of new devices and applications does not always go as expected,” says Senior Lecturer Helena Hirvonen. “Technology is used by humans, and every user is different. For example, an older customer with an immigrant background may find a specific digital service problematic because the person’s digital and language skills are insufficient for utilising the service.”
Various remote care and monitoring devices have made care work increasingly independent from time and place, and this change is not only positive. “When devices are present everywhere, people are constantly in a state of readiness, which may make work feel even busier than before,” says Principal Lecturer Mia Tammelin.
The different needs of the users of these devices and applications should therefore be better taken into account. It is especially important to understand that the capabilities of older people to use digital care services vary greatly between individuals. Some older people need more support than others.
“We should also recognise the often contradictory effects of ubiquitous digital technology on care work, says Senior Researcher Riitta Hänninen. “This is crucial for ensuring that everybody has a chance for active agency in accordance with their capabilities and potential in the increasingly digitalised world.”
The book Digital Transformations in Care for Older People: Critical Perspectives (Routledge) collects findings from twenty researchers on the digitalisation of care services in Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, and Denmark as well as in the EU policies. The results show that digitalisation has progressed at a slightly different pace in different countries. “The unexpected impacts of digitalisation also call for critical analysis,” Hirvonen says.
Further information:
Senior Lecturer Helena Hirvonen helena.m.hirvonen@uef.fi tel. 050 306 4127
Principal Lecturer Mia Tammelin mia.tammelin@jamk.fi tel. 050 438 1169
Senior Researcher Riitta Hänninen riitta.j.hanninen@jyu.fi tel. 040 707 7481
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