CARER+ Ageing well in the community and at home: developing digital competences of care workers to improve the quality of life of older people Telecentre-Europe AISBL (BE) UNITE-IT

PART 1: PROJECT OVERVIEW

CARER+ : General Project Information Instrument: – ICT PSP fifth call for proposals Pilot Type B ICT PSP Objective identifier: 3.2 Digital competences and social inclusion Purposes: – To promote the role of carers through the development of digital competences – To improve the quality of home care by using ICTs – To improve the quality of life of the older people Partnership: – Lead partner: FEPEM, France – 13 partner organisations across Europe (representative organisations, research institutions and universities, public and private sector organisations, NGOs; including 5 piloting partners) Duration: 1 March 2012 – 31 March 2015 (36 month) Telecentre-Europe’s role: – Preparation of the Piloting Handbook and Methodology Frame for Impact Assessment – Pilot co-ordination – Co-ordination of policy visits – Conducting the Impact Assessment Research and the IA Study

CARER+ Project Logic (‘Theory of Change’ model) There are gaps in the ICT knowledge and skills of home carers and care recipients These gaps need to be systematically assessed through competence mapping Carers' competences can be improved with access to ICT devices and training to use them ICT access and training leads to an improvement in the quality of care provided An improvement in the quality of care leads to improvement in the quality of life of older people Identification of ICT knowledge and skills of home carers and care recipients (WP2: D2.1) Competence Framework (WP2: D2.2) Training programme (WP4: D4.1 - D4.5) Implementation of Carer+ model (WP5: Piloting) Impact Assessment Research (WP5, WP8: Evaluation)

Identification of digital competences 2. Digital Competence Framework structure: The DCF structural elements are organised according to 3 dimensions: – 3 Competence Domains – 11 Competence Areas – 41 Competences 1. Research sources/outcomes: 57 competence-related documents analysed (curricula, qualifications standards, occupations standards, etc.) 8 expert focus groups organised 46 expert interviews conducted 156 questionnaires returned by care workers and caregivers

Competence Framework Enabling digital competence in care Care-specific digital competence General digital competence AcceptanceAdaptation ProgressionSupport Information Communi- cation Content creation Safety Independent living and social participation for care recipients Personal development and social integration of carers Care coordination

200 hours online training programme for carers CourseDescription 1. Foundation for digital competence development Building the baseline digital competence skills for care workers 2. Foundation for design of social care interventions with ICT Understanding the benefits, needs and challenges of planning and providing for social care interventions with ICT; Designing interventions and evaluating their impact. 3. Managing social care interventions and professionalization Planning and reporting day to day care activities with ICTs; processing information with technology; enhancing professional role and profile. 4.A. Independent livingSocial care interventions with ICT for facilitating independent living. 4.B. Assisted livingSocial care interventions with ICT in assisted living contexts. 5. Social inclusionSocial care interventions with ICT for promoting social inclusion.

ICTs USED iPad Mini Google Nexus 7” iPad Air NFC tags

Pilot Programme 10 month (200 hours) training for carers 4 month (basic courses) Carers equipped with ICTs 200 carers 50 informal caregivers 6 month home care provision with ICTs (care recipients involved and equipped with ICTs) 250 care recipients

PILOT SITES 5 EU member states Urban and rural sites 13 sites France (3) Paris, Poitiers, Nice Italy (3) Bologna and surrounding area Latvia (2) Riga, Jelgava Romania (2) Timisoara, Deva Spain (3) Bilbao and surrounding area

POLICY DEVELOPMENT 5 policy visits between pilot countries Awareness raising Involving national stakeholders Learn about home care provision Consensus building Pilot visit – exchange experiences

HOW WE MEASURED IMPACTS? Good practices for care work with ICTs Good practices for using ICT by older people in everyday life, health prevention With carers and care recipients Personal sentiments, successes, difficulties Same carers Change of digital skills, impact on home care practice, quality of life of carers and of the older people 200 paid carers + 50 informal caregivers Care practice, digital skills, expectations … Pre-Test Survey with Carers Post-Test Survey with Carers Case studies, good practices Focus Groups

PART 2: PROJECT OUTCOMES

Project Results Training programme Policy visits Pilot outcomes Available in 6 languages (EN, FR, IT, LV, RO, ES) 242 certificated carers Open sources to further participation 34 stakeholders from 5 countries participated Representing public institutions, service providers, training organisations, business organisations 192 paid carers finished 50 informal caregivers finished 250 older people joined 10 open pilot aspirants 1 open pilot partner

Focus of the Impact Assessment Research To what extent and in what ways does the CARER+ model have an effect on the skills and competencies of carers working in the home care sector? Does the CARER+ model then have a subsequent effect on the quality of care work and practice provided by carers? Does the CARER+ model ultimately have an effect on the quality of life of older people as care recipients?

Results of the Impact Assessment: 1. DIGITAL SKILLS AND ICTs IN CARE WORK digital skills prior the pilot: % of paid carers, as everyday users (N=192): Mobile phone: 84.4% Internet: 65.1% Smartphone: 51.6% PC: 33.3% Laptop: 38.4% Handheld computer: 12.5% Using ICTs in care work: Keep contact: over 70% used mobile phone Search information: 20-30% used PC/laptop Planning, organising daily tasks: % used mobile phone or some computer Number of informal caregivers, as everyday users (N=50): Mobile phone: 40 Internet: 42 Smartphone: 25 PC: 26 Laptop: 27 Handheld computer: 16 Using ICTs in care work: Keep contact: dominantly mobile phone For other tasks: they do not use ICTs

Results of the Impact Assessment: digital skills (and their benefits) after the pilot: Nearly all types of digital skills (basic and care-specific) improved as a result of the training programme Carers became more confident ICT users Less isolated carers Understanding of the importance of ICTs and digital skills in care work Identification of needs (of carers’ and care recipients’) that can be addressed by using an ICT in care process Better recognition of care profession More competent care work Positive attitudes toward ICTs and digitalisation ( online learning, autonomous learning, constant learning ) Inclusion effect of the training programme (‘catch up with the world’, being included in the information society)

Usefulness of digital skills and using ICTs in future care work A) 55% of paid carers found the obtained skills very useful in future care practice. A) 27 of the 50 informal caregivers stated that the obtained skills will be useful in future care tasks.

Results of the Impact Assessment: 2. IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF CARE WORK most positively affected fields of everyday care work: Obtaining specific (‘modern’) knowledge Keeping contact (with the team, care recipients, families) Organising and planning daily activities and tasks – By using: Google calendar, Evernote, BlockNote apps etc. More quality time spent together (due to he peer learning of technology) More enriched, individualised and better-tailored care – Looking for available (free) apps on the Internet to individual needs of the older people (games, online shopping, communication, health, medication etc.) – Better communication between carer and care recipient – Better facilitating of the relation of the carer and the care recipient

Results of the Impact Assessment: 3. IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OLDER PEOPLE main benefits for the older people: Positive impact on independence and autonomous living – ‘Recovering’ independence – Not needed to ask help of others with many activities Socialising opportunities (without leaving the house) Inclusion effect (being involved in information society) Having a tablet (which is usually not affordable for them)

useful applications on many areas of everyday life, such as… Entertainment (e.g. online games, films) Search for information (e.g. online newspapers) Keeping contact with family, with the carer (e.g. having an account, Skype, Viber) Socialising (e.g. via Facebook) Improving health situation (e.g. finding physical exercises, information about health, medication) Organising everyday tasks (e.g. online banking, buying, planning shopping)

Available Carer+ Resources Overview of Carer+ Deliverables – Training Programme for Carers – Available in 6 languages (EN, FR, IT, LV, RO, ES) via Carer+ website ( access for request from FEPEMwww.carerplusproject.eu Competence Framework – solutions Handbook for the certification of digital competencies in social care sector – Policy Visits Report – nal.docx?dl=0 nal.docx?dl=0 Piloting Handbook, Impact Assessment Report: for request (from FEPEM, Telecentre-Europe) Toolkit for Developing the Digital Competencies of Carers (under finalisation) – 0competences_with%20links.pdf?dl=0 Publications: – – – – FIND MORE PUBLICATIONS:

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