Does the Corona epidemic speed up digitalisation of elderly care?

The Corona epidemic has placed the importance of technology in a completely new light now that we are more or less isolated from each other. Especially old people who are secluded at home or who live in nursing homes and cannot receive visits. What can we learn from this? That was the topic for a webinar arranged by the Stockholm section of the international network Aging 2.0. There were 94 participants from all over the world attending representing academia, business, governmental organisations and members organisations. Similar webinars will be performed this coming autumn.

The Corona epidemic has placed the importance of technology in a completely new
light now that we are more or less isolated from each other, especially old people.

Do we use digital resources in a way that we would not have done otherwise? Should we organise elderly care differently? Has the technology perhaps exceeded the expectations of old people who are now isolated at home? Those were some of the questions discussed during the webinar.

“ The webinar was organised in different sections; as a round table with the invited speakers, all participants could put their questions and activities in three break out rooms. The activity was really high, beyond my expectations. It is very important to globally share and learn about the different perspectives in these subjects and the webinar will continue during this autumn”, says Britt Östlund, Professor in Technology in Health Care at KTH, and Executive Committee member for Digital Futures. She is also running the EU project INBOTS, inclusive of Robotics for a better society, about the social uptake of social robots.

 

Britt Östlund arranged the webinar, together with Catharina Borgenstierna at Camanio and Signe Bernhard-Larson at StillActive, on behalf of the Stockholm section of the international network Aging 2.0.

Program:

1. Introduction, Catharina Borgenstierna, Camanio

2. Greetings from Aging 2.0, founder Stephen Johnston

3. What digital challenges and experiences do we see in Sweden?
• Britt Östlund, KTH/Digital Futures – what research questions are raised?
• Carina Idenfors, Norrtälje Municipalit
• Lars-Åke Johansson, Alkit Communication
• Mårten Lindskog, Stockholm City – how does the municipality in Corona times work
• Peter Sandberg, SKPF Pensionärerna, Swedish senior citizen organization – Challenges for Seniors for a Hackathon

4. Group discussions, organized in Zoom
• What should we do now? Has corona changed our priorities? Knowledge networks, investments, marketing, international exchange?

Room 1: Hackathon with seniors, Robin Broqvist, Jiropro

Room 2: International exchange and corona innovations, Silas Olsson, Health Acess and Catharina Borgenstierna, Camanio

Room 3: Digitising elderly care in times of corona epidemic, Britt Östlund KTH/Digital Futures

Read more:

www.aging2.com/events/details/aging-20-stockholm-presents-webinar-does-the-corona-epidemic-speed-up-digitization-of-elderly-care/

inbots.eu/

www.digitalfutures.kth.se/