Smart Home Care

For Community Senior Housing

Principal investigator: Elisabetta Notarnicola (CeRGAS)

Team UB/Cergas: Elisabetta Notarnicola, Eleonora Perobelli, Michela Meregaglia, Maria Vittoria Bufali

Partners: Equa Social Cooperative, Italy; CeRGAS, Italy; KService Social Enterprise, Italy; Attilio & Teresa Cassoni Foundation, Italy; Need Institute Foundation, Italy

Sponsor: Cariplo Foundation (Call “Welfare in Ageing - Strengthening community capacity to respond to the needs of older people and their families”, 2022 edition)

Duration: 24 months

Abstract:

The Smart Home Care (SHC) project aims to introduce and test the transferability/scalability of an innovative elderly care model. It provides people aged 65+ with an integrated system of home-based care services, comprising a health and social care component, socio-educational and recreational activities, and facility management services. Moreover, the service model integrates multiple digital technologies (e.g., environmental sensors, AI vocal assistants, platforms, apps, etc.) to perform a set of functions key to promoting older adults’ well-being and active ageing, such as: case management, remote monitoring, cognitive stimulation and engagement in socialising and cultural activities.  

The research project’s primary objective is to co-design and implement a multidimensional evaluation model lying at the crossroads between performance management, economic and social impact evaluation. The latter draws on quali-quantitative data supplied by multiple stakeholders (i.e., service beneficiaries, caregivers, project partners, and other community actors) to monitor the project actions' progression, impactfulness, and coherence with underlying objectives, with a strong focus on the following critical dimensions:

  • Service model innovativeness
  • Technology impact
  • Beneficiaries' well-being
  • Community impact
  • Economic evaluation and project sustainability