Nursing homes as technological habitats – Digital technology supporting everyday citizenship, participation and dignity for nursing home residents

Welfare technology is considered an important strategy for solving challenges in eldercare.

At the same time, there is a dominant understanding that technology use in eldercare is scarce, and that digitization of eldercare is something for the coming future.

Withal, there is already a large amount of digital technology in nursing homes such as alarms, locking systems and smart phones.

The older citizens that move to nursing homes are often active technology users but attention is seldom paid on residents’ own digital use, neither in research nor in practice.

The project explore nursing homes as technological habitat including the ongoing interactions between residents, their family/friends, staff and various technologies.

Through this, we will learn from technology that is already in use and promote the introduction of new technology in nursing homes.

The aim is to develop knowledge about how digital technology can enhance everyday citizenship, participation, and dignity among older persons in nursing homes.

We will explore nursing homes as technological habitats including the relational interactions that are going on in these settings.

Research Questions: To what extent and for what purposes are digital technology used in nursing homes?Which ideas and values are guiding the use of digital technology in nursing homes?What are the needs and wishes related to digital technology among residents, their family/friends and staff?How can equal use of technology be enhanced in nursing homes by new working methods with the goal to enhance participation and dignity among residents?

The project has an ethnographic design with both qualitative and quantitative data.

Field studies will be carried out in 3 nursing homes with observations, informal interviews, assessments, focus groups, and workshops with a collaborative approach.The project builds on previous research within the research team, which supports its feasibility. Data will be collected in the municipality of Jönköping and a collaboration has been established for the project.

The knowledge developed is clinically significant and necessary to meet the goals and standards of good eldercare.

By approaching nursing homes as technological habitats, we can better see how aspects in the daily life can support everyday citizenship, participation and dignity in settings where technology is present. This project has great societal benefit and is clearly relevant to Forte´s area of ​​responsibility.