IN-ICT-CARE

The main objective of IN-ICT-CARE was to overcome care home problems/needs by using ICT to create innovative solutions for care home institutions, including ICT enabled care services, and ICT enabled self-care services for adults who are based in care homes. Now after two years, the project has successfully come to an end.

Background

Research and investigations have shown a certain lack of a methodological framework for the implementation of ICT in care homes: most of the care homes and professionals in this area are uninformed and not knowledgeable in satisfactory levels. Because of the fact that ICT tools change constantly and are updated regularly, it is not easy for care personnel to follow their fast pace.

In light of that, IN-ICT-CARE´s main objective was to overcome care home problems and needs by using ICT to create innovative solutions for care home institutions. These include ICT-enabled care services, and ICT-enabled self-care services for adults who live in care homes. The project worked on advanced ICT-enabled care services including digital health (convergence of digital revolutions in care), electronic health (transfer of health resources and care by electronic means), technology-enabled care (TEC) services (the use of telehealth, telecare, telemedicine, telecoaching), as well as wearable devices (sensors applied to the body, which convert physiological signals, e.g., heart rate, movement, other physical signals). It was also planned to combine the strengths and knowledge of professional health care experts, care home experts, administrators, academics, technology experts, private companies, social advocacy groups, local, national and international authorities.

Idea and outcomes

The main activities of IN-ICT-CARE included training adult educators of care homes, ICT experts in health-technology, as well as academics and researchers in the partner countries. The final conference, as well as workshops in each partner country, served to disseminate project results to a wide range of people and institutions in Turkey and Europe.

• Adult educators and staff in care homes improved their ICT knowledge and the quality of care services that they provide. By working together with ICT experts, academics and experts in the care home sector they developed their cooperation skills, professionalism, knowledge and experiences.
• Participants (ICT experts, academics, adult staff) explored and better understood the need for ICT in the care home sector and develop practical skills in using components of ICT for care homes benefits.
• Academics and researchers improved their practical knowledge and experiences in working with care home staff. They were offering professional guidance on real problems that care homes face today, were working together with European partners to extend their scope of knowledge, and apply theoretical knowledge regarding ICT into practice in care homes.
• Partners improved the quality-of-care home ICT training programs in the field of the care sector.

Starting in September 2019, the project implemented the above objectives over a period of two years. The consortium consisted of the project lead Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University (Turkey) and its partners SYNYO (Austria), ÖZEL EGITIM AKADEMISI (Italy), ISTITUTO DEI SORDI DI TORINO (Italy), NEXID SRL (Italy), KARAMAN AILE VE SOSYAL POLITIKALAR IL MUDURLUGU (Turkey) and ESCUELA ANDALUZA DE SALUD PUBLICA SA (Spain).

References

https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/apply-for-adult-education-partnership-funding

Keywords

Care, Care homes, ICT, older adults, assistive technologies, telemedicine, wearables