Written by David Chadima
As Europe’s population continues to age, the need for innovative homecare solutions is becoming increasingly urgent. The ACE project is stepping up to meet this challenge, conducting a series of workshops in late 2023 to uncover key insights and drive meaningful change. These workshops revealed crucial factors influencing the adoption of homecare technologies, emphasising the importance of care recipient and caregiver needs, technological solutions, and coordinated healthcare systems. The findings also highlighted socio-economic disparities, the necessity for digital literacy, and the demand for culturally appropriate, user-friendly technologies. How can we implement these strategies to enhance homecare for Europe’s ageing population?
Accelerating homecare innovation in the North Sea region
The ACE (Accelerating the homecare innovation ecosystem of the future in the North Sea Region) project is on a mission to redefine homecare. As Europe grapples with an ageing population, the adoption of innovative homecare technologies is crucial for ensuring older adults to live longer, healthier, and more independent lives. The ACE project brings together 14 partner organisations from six countries, representing business support organisations, public authorities, and research institutions, to foster the adoption of these solutions.
In late 2023, nine workshops were held across five EU countries – Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and France. These workshops gathered around 200 healthcare providers, policymakers, technology developers, and care advocates to uncover and tackle regional and country-specific obstacles in adopting homecare technologies. The goal was to create strategies tailored to unique cultural and national differences for effective homecare technology implementation.
Although focused on the North Sea region, ACE’s insights have an EU-wide relevance. The common challenges and opportunities identified can inspire and inform similar initiatives across Europe, promoting a cohesive approach to integrating homecare technologies throughout the continent.
The workshop revealed the main factors shaping and influencing the homecare sector. These factors can be grouped into three categories: Older adults & caregivers, Technological solutions, and Healthcare systems and coordination across countries.
1. Older adults and caregivers
Despite these challenges, several indicators predict positive outcomes for those reliant on homecare. Strong family support networks provide essential emotional and practical assistance, while active participation in care decisions enhances their sense of control and dignity.
– David Chadima, Healthcare Innovation Consultant
Older adults with a desire to maintain an independent life, are at the heart of homecare. These individuals face numerous challenges, including reduced mobility, isolation, and disease-related limitations. Additionally, their living environments often present obstacles to safe and autonomous living.
Despite these challenges, several indicators predict positive outcomes for those reliant on homecare. Strong family support networks provide essential emotional and practical assistance, while active participation in care decisions enhances their sense of control and dignity. However, socio-economic factors also play a significant role in determining health outcomes. Access to care, resources, and the ability to navigate the healthcare system are heavily influenced by an individual’s socio-economic status. Addressing these disparities is essential for ensuring equitable care for all elderly individuals.
Digital literacy is another critical factor. Older adults with higher levels of digital literacy are better equipped to manage administrative tasks, access health information, and use digital health technologies effectively. Conversely, those with lower digital literacy may struggle to benefit from technological advancements, highlighting the need for user-friendly solutions and targeted education initiatives.
Lastly, cultural perceptions of ageing are evolving, with a growing recognition of the valuable contributions that seniors can make. Changing these perceptions is essential to promoting a more inclusive and supportive environment for the elderly, enabling them to live more fulfilling lives.
2. Technological solutions
Interoperability is essential for successful technological solutions in healthcare. It enables seamless communication between systems for coordinated care. Without it, integrating new technologies is challenging, and unclear reimbursement pathways can hinder the adoption of digital health solutions, leading to inconsistent care.
– David Chadima, Healthcare Innovation Consultant
Adopting the right technological solutions is crucial for improving homecare quality. These technologies must be simple to use, ensuring both care recipients and caregivers can adopt them with ease. Culturally acceptable and intuitive solutions are more likely to be embraced, leading to higher adoption and satisfaction rates.
Providing appropriate training for healthcare staff is also essential. Well-trained staff can support older adults and their relatives in the deployment and use of these solutions, ensuring that any issues can be promptly addressed and that the technologies are utilised to their fullest potential.
Interoperability is essential for successful technological solutions in healthcare. It enables seamless communication between systems for coordinated care. Without it, integrating new technologies is challenging, and unclear reimbursement pathways can hinder the adoption of digital health solutions, leading to inconsistent care.
Finally, balancing the risks and opportunities is important when adopting technologies in healthcare. While mitigating potential risks is necessary, being too risk-averse can lead to missed opportunities for improving care. A balanced approach ensures that innovative solutions can be leveraged to address existing healthcare constraints effectively.
3. Healthcare systems and coordination across sectors
Urban regions often have better access to advanced technologies and healthcare facilities, while rural areas may struggle with limited resources and connectivity. Investments in infrastructure and targeted policies can help bridge the gap, providing rural populations with the same quality of homecare as their urban counterparts.
– David Chadima, Healthcare Innovation Consultant
A holistic approach to homecare is essential, requiring better coordination across various healthcare actors. Integrating services and fostering collaboration among healthcare providers, policymakers, and technology developers, ensures that older adults receive comprehensive and seamless care.
While the need to recruit more healthcare professionals is evident due to the growing elderly population, this won’t be an easy solution. One of the major challenges is that the workforce is set to decrease, and many care providers will face limited budgets and a shrinking pool of potential hires. This reality highlights the urgent need for innovative approaches to address the issue and ensure sustainable, high-quality care in the future.
Addressing disparities that exist between urban and rural areas in terms of technological adoption and infrastructure is also essential. Urban regions often have better access to advanced technologies and healthcare facilities, while rural areas may struggle with limited resources and connectivity. Investments in infrastructure and targeted policies can help bridge the gap, providing rural populations with the same quality of homecare as their urban counterparts.
Supportive policies at regional and national levels are critical for a coordinated approach to homecare. These policies should promote the integration of technological solutions, support the recruitment and training of healthcare professionals, and address the specific needs of urban and rural areas. By creating a supportive policy environment, governments can facilitate the widespread adoption of effective homecare practices and technologies.
Enhancing homecare requires a comprehensive approach that includes technological improvements, optimised care governance, and attention to socio-economic and cultural variables. By focusing on user-friendly, interoperable, and culturally appropriate technological solutions, and improving collaboration among healthcare providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders, we can establish a more inclusive and efficient homecare environment. Additionally, initiatives to close the digital literacy divide, upgrade infrastructure in underserved areas, and shift societal views on ageing are crucial. These measures will empower older adults or other citizens reliant on homecare to lead more independent and respected lives, enriching society with their ongoing contributions and experiences.
The need for a collaborative approach
While healthcare providers, policymakers, technology developers, and patient advocacy groups agree on the need to improve homecare for older adults, implementation methods vary significantly from country to country. These differences are shaped by distinct healthcare systems, cultural contexts, and policy environments.
To achieve the shared goal of enhancing homecare, improved coordination and collaboration is needed across three critical circles: healthcare provision, technological innovation, and policy formulation. Healthcare providers must be equipped with the necessary training and resources to integrate new technologies into their care routines. This requires continuous education and support to help them stay updated with the latest advancements and methodologies. Developers need to design user-friendly and interoperable technologies that address the specific needs of older adults and caregivers. Collaboration with healthcare professionals during the development phase can ensure that these solutions are practical and effective in real-world settings. Policymakers must create a conducive environment for the adoption of new technologies. This includes developing clear reimbursement pathways, ensuring equitable access across urban and rural areas, and fostering a regulatory framework that supports innovation while safeguarding user safety and data privacy.
The ACE project plays a pivotal role in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing real-world testing environments (pilot sites) for companies to apply and test their cutting-edge products or services (TRL 7-8 or higher). By facilitating collaboration between SMEs and healthcare stakeholders, ACE is supporting the deployment of innovative solutions, ensuring that technologies are both practical and impactful in addressing the needs of older adults and caregivers.
This holistic approach can lead to better health outcomes for older adults, increased satisfaction among caregivers, more efficient use of resources within the healthcare system, and greater use and adoption of innovative technology.
Learn more about the work of the Healthcare Innovation team
If you’re interested in learning more about the ACE project, or how Bax is tackling the complexities of healthcare innovation, send an email to ace@baxcompany.com.
