Our Norwegian partners, Western Norway Research Institute (WNRI), are developing two services for health care applying our novel co-production methodology.
These services using welfare technology are aimed to support end users and make them more independent, while freeing time for health care workers. WNRI and a total of 8 Local Champions have created a living lab in some municipalities of the region to test and improve the services in a way that are more beneficial for all the stakeholders and able to be applied in a bigger scale.
As a result, the following services have been piloted in two municipalities, Gloppen and Jølster:
1. Safety technology packages for sheltered housing and private homes
The safety technology package includes various sensors and alarms that will warn and notify the users, health care services or relatives when unforeseen and unwanted events such as a person falling (safety technology: fall-detection technology), leaving his/her home (safety technology: GPS or motion-detection sensors); leaving bed at night without returning (safety technology: sensor in bed, etc.
Some benefits of this service are:
- Increased safety and independence for the end user
- Relatives less worried
2. Medicine support for private homes
It consists of a simple device – a medicine dispenser – that reminds the user with an alarm when it is time to take the medicine. Alternatively, if the user does not take the pills that the dispenser offers, an alarm can warn relatives or health care personnel.
The main benefits of this service are:
- Increased quality of health care and more independent users.
- Improved working conditions for health care workers, by reducing their visits, or alternatively, moving the visit to a less busy period of the day.
At the end of the pilot, an exploitation plan will be developed, with advice for integration in health care services and diffusion to other municipalities in the region of Sogn og Fjordane.