Digital technologies are playing an increasingly important role in the care and housing of older persons. Technology is expected to help address staff shortages, make care more efficient and enable older persons to live independently for longer. Examples include personal alarm systems, medication dispensers, communication platforms and socially assistive technologies. However, the expected benefits of digital care are not always realised in practice. Technologies may not sufficiently reflect the wishes, abilities and everyday circumstances of older persons. They can also produce unintended consequences, such as anxiety, dependency and loneliness. At the organisational level, successful technology use may be hindered by unclear responsibilities, limited knowledge sharing and insufficient insight into actual use.
MOVUS stands for Mechanisms of Vulnerability and Resilience: (re)Designing the Organization of Digital care and Housing for Older Persons. The project examines how technology in the care and housing of older persons can be organised in ways that strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability. It studies how digital technologies are implemented, used and experienced by older persons, care professionals, organisations and other involved partners. Rather than viewing technology as a solution in itself, MOVUS focuses on the interaction between technology, people, work practices, organisational arrangements and the wider care environment.
MOVUS is funded by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) through the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) programme Vulnerability and Resilience in an Online Society. NWO carries out the Dutch Research Agenda research programme on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The programme aims to develop knowledge that can support policymakers and public organisations in responding appropriately to the long-term effects of the digitalisation of society.
Aims
- Understanding the mechanisms through which digitalisation interacts with different layers of vulnerability.
- Developing fundamental legal and ethical conditions for the digitalisation of care and housing.
- Designing, improving and implementing solutions that reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience in the context of digital transformation.
The Consortium
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- EDHEC Business School
- Amsterdam UMC (AUMC)
- TU Eindhoven
- Hogeschool HAN University of applied sciences (HAN)
- ROC van Twente
- Saxion
Partners
- Thebe
- Vitalis
- ‘t Heem
- Zuidoostzorg
- Woonzorg
- Sigra
- GGD Amsterdam
- Het Groene Brein
- Actiz
- Empyreal Business