Digital welfare technology is increasingly discussed and used as a solution to societal challenges related to an aging population and an increasingly resource-demanding healthcare sector. In particular, demographic developments pose challenges in terms of staffing: the need for personnel in elderly care is expected to increase by 50% by 2030 in a professional field that is already struggling to retain staff. In response to these challenges, the digitization of elderly care is expected to contribute with solutions in the form of increased efficiency and new ways of organizing care. Examples of digital welfare technology include automated medication dispensers, various types of robots, sensors and automatic alarms connected to security cameras and mobile devices, as well as different planning and documentation systems.
Organizational change and training for digital care
An appropriate use of digital technology requires comprehensive changes in working methods and organization, and both researchers and governmental agencies highlight the need to provide care workers with training in the use of new technology. In response to this need, the current project adopts a working life perspective, which involves understanding the staff’s use of digital welfare technology in relation to organizational conditions and managers’ ability to coordinate care work in new ways with the help of digital technology.
The aim of this project is to examine how care workers’ practical use of digital welfare technology in elderly care can be better supported by managers and organized more efficiently.
The project runs from 2025 to 2027 and is funded by FORTE.
