Elin Sundby Boysen

Electronic Medication Dispensers Finding the Right Users – A Pilot Study in a Norwegian Municipality Home Care Service

This paper presents the reports on a pilot study in Norway where electronic medication dispensers were tested by 16 elderly users, exploring the effects for both end users and the care service. There were large variations in the users’ individual perceptions of the dispenser. Persons with reduced eyesight or manual dexterity reported great personal benefits and increased feeling of independence and dignity. On the other hand, several patients stopped using the dispenser due to either cognitive challenges and/or feelings of insecurity. The home care service using electronic medication dispensers must take great care in finding the right users to increase probability of success, both for the user and the service.

Wearable and Mobile Technology for Safe and Active Living.

The study explores how mobile safety alarms can be utilized for ambient assisted living (AAL), and provides elderly safety, autonomy, independence and mobility. The aim is to generate knowledge on usage, usability and technical requirements to harvest the potential benefits of using wearable and mobile technologies in care for safe and active living. The study is based on real life pilots in three Norwegian municipalities with 71 users, their caregivers and relatives. Pilot users wore the mobile safety alarm while performing their daily activities - indoor and outdoor. The study shows increased safety to users, their relatives and caregivers and increased activity and mobility indicating improved social and physical health. Further development of wearables and mobile technologies is requested to meet user needs, and the inclusion of relatives imposes new challenges in terms of privacy. Mobile safety alarms represent a huge potential for efficiency and innovation in integrated care, but new tools are required for efficient collaboration and operation for large-scale implementations.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Bedside patient infotainment touch screens provide access to a range of information, communication and entertainment services. This paper explores pertinent design and implementation considerations when introducing such infotainment terminals in nursing homes. Given the high prevalence of dementia in nursing home populations, special importance is placed on the needs and requirements of persons with dementia. In the paper, findings from an evaluation of the introduction of an infotainment system in two nursing homes is presented, discussed and contrasted with literature on dementia-friendly design of ICT.