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"It is very convenient when it works - successes and challenges with welfare technology" - a qualitative study.
Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Sweden.
Department of Engineering Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark.
Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication, HLK, Communication, Culture and Diversity (CCD).ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4908-9061
Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Sweden.
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2025 (English)In: PLOS Digital Health, E-ISSN 2767-3170, Vol. 4, no 4, article id e0000844Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Sustainable development
00. Sustainable Development, 3. Good health and well-being
Abstract [en]

Welfare technology (WT) use is increasingly advocated to facilitate aging in place. However, it remains unclear how older adults and homecare staff perceive these digital technologies in practice. This qualitative study investigated the ways in which current WT either facilitated or fell short in supporting older adults in their daily lives and homecare staff at work. Four key themes were developed using thematic analysis: 1) Successes and challenges with ease of use (i.e., how simple it is to interact with the WT); 2) Successes and challenges with usefulness (i.e., how effective the WT is in achieving its intended purpose); 3) Challenges with appearance, sounds and physical location; and 4) Challenges with technical maintenance and vulnerabilities. Findings revealed paradoxes in both older adult and homecare staff user perceptions. For instance, some successes with WT's usefulness were highlighted, like GPS safety alarms in supporting older adult independence. However, challenges in usefulness were also exposed, like staff hiding "overused" safety alarms. Except for the medication robot, none of the WT devices clearly alleviated anticipated homecare staff shortages. WT perceived as auditorily or visually inadequate, that required more effort than users could comfortably manage, or that organizations could seamlessly integrate, were generally regarded as challenging. To overcome such challenges, greater involvement from older adults and homecare staff in the design and implementation of WT within homecare contexts is necessary. Refined criteria for prescribing WT to individuals, particularly regarding cognitive status, are additionally recommended by the researchers.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2025. Vol. 4, no 4, article id e0000844
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-67661DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000844ISI: 001475130700001PubMedID: 40273064Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105003834488Local ID: GOA;intsam;1013648OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-67661DiVA, id: diva2:1954797
Funder
The Kamprad Family Foundation, 20210242Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2021-02122Available from: 2025-04-28 Created: 2025-04-28 Last updated: 2025-10-13Bibliographically approved

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Samuelsson, UlliFristedt, Sofi

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HLK, Communication, Culture and Diversity (CCD)HHJ, Institute of GerontologyThe Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare
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PLOS Digital Health
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