Digital elderly care and intelligent video surveillance part of EU’s support package
The EU is investing in green growth and digitalization where digital elderly care and intelligent camera surveillance within the healthcare sector is an alternative, reports Swedens Television news program Rapport in a feature on 18 February. As much as € 750 billion is included in the record-breaking recovery fund. Elderly care in Eskilstuna benefits from the fund by investing in further digital alternatives.
Eskilstuna is one of Swedens municipalities that has come the furthest with digital elderly care. This includes security cameras, tablets for care meetings and medical robots. Eskilstuna elderly care uses Axis cameras together with Irisity’s software IRIS ™ to offer remote supervision. The solution is offered primarily to those who already utilize home care, as an alternative to visits in person during the night. The home care staff uses the camera to check in on the subjects during predetermined times agreed upon in advance.
Joakim Stenberg works at Eskilstuna alarm group and is satisfied with the different monitoring functions: “You can, for example, set alarms if someone gets up at night, falls or shouts. Everyone I have met that tried it has been positive, there have been no negative sides at all really”, says Joakim. “If someone older wants it, they get it. No one is forced.”
“It is a way to free up resources for those who really need help in person,” says Christine Gustafsson, development manager at Eskilstuna municipality.
Minister of Finance Magdalena Andersson comments by saying: “Digitization is an area where you can ensure that the elderly have a safe and good everyday life while making it easier for staff to handle.” She explains that there will still be a need for more employees in elderly care in the upcoming years, but that time might be utilized better with the help of these new technical solutions; “Maybe now staff might actually have time to drink a cup of coffee and look at the photo of the new grandchild as well?”
See the whole feature at SVT Play