This week, the AgeTech Collaborative™ team is delighted to feature a guest blog post by Annika Ulich, scientific coordinator at the Berlin-based Digital Urban Center for Aging and Health (DUCAH). An AgeTech Collaborative enterprise participant, DUCAH is a cooperatively organized network that aims to tap into and harness the potential of digitization for the social and health economy through a network of stakeholders from politics, science, health, social, real estate, finance and the digital economy.
While DUCAH operates primarily in Germany, it has a vision for improving the lives of older adults the world over through international cooperation. DUCAH hosts the GETA International project, which promotes the exchange of ideas across borders to combat loneliness and increase digital participation among older adults.
Care Facilities in Transition: Neighborhood Work for a Connected Community
Against the backdrop of the challenges of demographic change and the increasing number of older adults in Germany, new ideas are needed for designing good and viable living environments.
One problem that is increasingly coming into focus is loneliness in old age. Fortunately, solving loneliness is becoming a priority for care providers and care facilities. But if mobility restrictions or weather conditions prevent older adults from using on-site services, questions of accessibility arise. This opens up the possibility that care facilities will need to do more than they had been doing previously. This development was accelerated by COVID-19, as other neighborhood structures collapsed.
Some supporting organizations are already implementing concrete measures to counteract the challenge of loneliness in the neighborhood: In addition to on-site offerings such as game afternoons, they also offer courses for the acquisition of digital skills or to launch pilot projects — for example, the use of tablets with content that appeals to older adults to enable participation, including digital participation.
The role of some care facilities in Germany is fundamentally changing as a result. Although human and financial resources are scarce, care providers are thinking about what role they should play and how they can promote digital participation. These facilities are no longer just places for people in need of care; increasingly, they are developing into digital literacy providers that are accessible to the entire neighborhood.
In the GETA International project, we spoke to several stakeholders in care facilities. Many of these facilities have set up regular meetings, learning cafés and tea afternoons to promote interaction with residents, relatives and neighbors. A representative of a large care provider in Stuttgart describes the growing social role of care facilities, which are increasingly acting as an everyday contact point and expertise center for the neighborhood — going far beyond traditional care services. “Sometimes the whole family asks for help [with technology], because we are seen as the experts.”
International Networking Against Loneliness: Berlin and California Exchange Ideas
There are companies and startups in Germany that are working toward the goal of sustainably improving the living conditions and health of older people by promoting digital technologies.
As part of the GETA International project, a learning and development partnership is being established between Berlin and California as an international network for digital solutions against loneliness and social isolation. One promising example of a concept from California is the state’s Master Plan for Aging, which focuses on technological innovations. The close collaboration there between science, technology developers, care facilities and the actual people affected shows how digital solutions can successfully combat loneliness.
The GETA International project establishes transatlantic connections between subject matter experts (SMEs), startups and innovative projects, and it supports Berlin SMEs with knowledge of the US market, potential new target groups and information on legal and technological requirements for market entry in the US.
What can cooperation between care facilities and digital companies look like in concrete terms?
In the best cases — as shown by pioneers in the US — the social economy, technology companies and other supporters (such as research institutions like CITRIS Health or other civil society initiatives) work hand in hand.
A pilot project in the district of Märkisch-Oderland, initiated by GETA International, shows how such collaborations can be implemented in practice. A care provider there has managed to tackle loneliness in old age in the district with a project sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). One new initiative aims to provide tablets for senior citizens who are affected by loneliness or who are immobile and unable to take advantage of on-site services offered by care facilities. The content on the tablet is provided by Active at Home from Berlin. Active at Home specializes in providing senior citizens with programs that promote culture, exercise and social interaction. Meanwhile, Televisit, a non-profit organization from the US, has developed an intuitive platform to enable seniors to easily participate in online courses such as seated dancing, cultural offerings such as author readings and open discussion forums among seniors, even if they have no previous digital knowledge.
The project, which was officially launched in June 2024, is currently in a test phase to better understand the target group and the market. It aims to provide manageable technologies for older adults and help make the digital world accessible to them.
Creating an inclusive neighborhood
Opening up care facilities as neighborhood centers has many positive effects: It creates variety in residents' everyday lives, strengthens ties with the neighborhood and promotes intergenerational exchange. However, despite these positive developments and the added value that the facilities create as a result, the financial side often remains unsecured. The expanded role as a tech-learning space in the neighborhood and the new tasks that come with it require additional resources that are often not covered. As the manager of a care facility in Cottbus describes the dilemma faced by many nonprofit facilities that have to rely on external funding and negotiated care rates puts it: “We can't afford to hire people or create jobs. In the nonprofit sector, we have the problem that we are actually almost exclusively dependent on subsidized services.”
Combating loneliness requires innovative approaches that combine social and digital participation. Care facilities that open up their services, along with technology companies and international networks such as GETA International, show how cooperation can develop targeted solutions. Neighborhoods that benefit from such projects become vibrant places where people meet digitally and in person. They have the potential to become places where people support each other. They will become places where people can request real help, including digital help. To promote this, however, more municipal and financial support is needed to enable long-term planning and participation. This is the only way to create a network that helps older people find their way into a digitally connected society.
To learn more about this or about GETA International, contact Annika at annika.ulich@ducah.de.
#ExpertInsights