En kartlegging av teknologiske hjelpemidler til personer med nyoppdaget demens
Abstract
The main objective of the national program of welfare technology is that welfaretechnological solutions will be an integrated part of the health and care services within 2020.Several projects in this program will include safety packages. Before technological tools areimplemented, a survey regarding the needs and challenges should be conducted. The presentstudy has focused on people with dementia and their relatives, because in 2040, the number ofpeople with dementia is expected to double.Welfare technological solutions can be divided into three parts: fall, isolation, and cognitiveimpairment. Thus, the current study has focused on what technological solutions a safetypackage should include to prevent these three factors for people with dementia. These factorsare based on Hagen’s four technologic classifications, which show different ways to approachvarious user needs and how to support users, relatives and medical personnel. The presentstudy has examined whether or not there are common challenges to people with dementia andtheir relatives, which enables us to foresee what tools a safety package should include.A qualitative method with a semi-structured interview guide has been carried out. Theinformants were relatives (children) to people with dementia, who lived in their own homesand received public health services. Findings from the problem analysis show that peoplewith dementia belong to a user group where the relatives (children) are assisting witheveryday tasks. Furthermore, findings from the interviews indicate that there are somecommon challenges for people with dementia and their relatives. The safety package forpeople with dementia should include technological tools that prevent and improve safety inthe home, in addition to tools that provide memory support.In conclusion, it is recommended to introduce a safety package with technological tools topeople with dementia in an early stage. This should also be combined with knowledge andpeople. It is crucial to find a balance between technology and humans to make it possible forpeople to live longer in their own homes.Keywords: welfare technology, dementia, safety packages, technological tools
Description
Masteroppgave i helse- og sosialinformatikk HSI 500 Universitetet i Agder 2014