Needs and Challenges in the Social Alarm Area
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Abstract
The elderly population is increasing and there is a need to provide care and safety at a high level with limited resources. New social alarm solutions could contribute to safety and independence for elderly. The digital infrastructure provides new possibilities and challenges for the social alarm area. Sweden has a wide spread digital infrastructure and have reached far in the digital social alarm area in terms of the development of alarms, the use of the digital infrastructure for the alarms and regarding management of the alarm solutions. Knowledge and experience from the deployment of digital social alarms in Sweden could be used in other countries as well.
Objective and methods
In a number of projects we have addressed the social alarm area in a broad sense and from several perspectives. There are several actors involved and there are complex processes both with respect to procure new alarms and to mange the organisation around them. In our work we have focused on usage and usage aspects of these processes. Alarm users, caregivers, managers at the municipalities and personnel at alarm centres have been interviewed.
Results and conclusions
As a result of this work a number of problems have been identified. The complexity to procure new alarms in the municipalities have had the effect that the same social alarm systems have been ordered over and over again without taking into account new user needs or new available technical solutions.
From a user point of view the interviews revealed several problems. One large problem that was found was that the alarms have a very limited reach and are designed for indoor purpose only. Further, the speaker of the traditional indoor alarms is located in the base unit and the user has to be quite close to this unit to be able to communicate with the alarm centre. The problems regarding traditional social alarms have had the effect that some elderly people hesitate to leave their homes, which in turn has negative effects due to lack of physical activity and social contacts.
There are some existing social alarm solutions for outdoor usage that have the speaker in the wearable unit. However, most of these alarms are just operating outdoors and not indoors; and there are also challenges in business models and responsibility for receiving and acting on alarms. Future work must address issues related to new ways of cooperation between the public sector, the private sector and non-profit efforts as well as how Information Technology can support this collaboration.
Several interviewed users also pointed out the design of the alarms. The design was not nice and the alarms had a stigmatizing effect. In our ongoing work we are developing a new social alarm where we place a large focus on looks and design of the product. The alarm will also work both indoor and outdoor and have a speaker in the wearable unit. Technology for elderly must be turned into good-looking devices with a setting of useful services and a flexible organisation around them.
Objective and methods
In a number of projects we have addressed the social alarm area in a broad sense and from several perspectives. There are several actors involved and there are complex processes both with respect to procure new alarms and to mange the organisation around them. In our work we have focused on usage and usage aspects of these processes. Alarm users, caregivers, managers at the municipalities and personnel at alarm centres have been interviewed.
Results and conclusions
As a result of this work a number of problems have been identified. The complexity to procure new alarms in the municipalities have had the effect that the same social alarm systems have been ordered over and over again without taking into account new user needs or new available technical solutions.
From a user point of view the interviews revealed several problems. One large problem that was found was that the alarms have a very limited reach and are designed for indoor purpose only. Further, the speaker of the traditional indoor alarms is located in the base unit and the user has to be quite close to this unit to be able to communicate with the alarm centre. The problems regarding traditional social alarms have had the effect that some elderly people hesitate to leave their homes, which in turn has negative effects due to lack of physical activity and social contacts.
There are some existing social alarm solutions for outdoor usage that have the speaker in the wearable unit. However, most of these alarms are just operating outdoors and not indoors; and there are also challenges in business models and responsibility for receiving and acting on alarms. Future work must address issues related to new ways of cooperation between the public sector, the private sector and non-profit efforts as well as how Information Technology can support this collaboration.
Several interviewed users also pointed out the design of the alarms. The design was not nice and the alarms had a stigmatizing effect. In our ongoing work we are developing a new social alarm where we place a large focus on looks and design of the product. The alarm will also work both indoor and outdoor and have a speaker in the wearable unit. Technology for elderly must be turned into good-looking devices with a setting of useful services and a flexible organisation around them.
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