KoVeDE + Local authority care-related provision structure – potential for digitalisation and decision-making processes
Duration: October 2022 – October 2023
People’s life expectancy is increasing, and most older people want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible and in a self-determined manner.
The extent to which “good” ageing is possible in people’s immediate living environment is ultimately determined in the local community, even before, but especially as people begin to need support and care.
In times of global crises and a noticeable shortage of skilled labour on all sides, local authorities are faced with major and sometimes competing challenges.
In order to achieve the desired assurance of care for the preference “outpatient over inpatient”, a comprehensive range of local support and care services is required that takes into account the individual – and therefore diverse – needs of local senior citizens.
This calls for a wide variety of resources developed in the course of complex planning and management processes.
A huge number of pilot projects are emerging with innovative concepts, predominantly as components of care services, which increasingly also include digital technologies.
However, little is known about the structurally formative role that local authorities as public service providers or local committees and networks play or can play in practice.
The aim of the KoVeDE project is to provide a practical description of any decision-making, planning and control processes and their framework conditions,
which involves conducting qualitative expert interviews with municipal stakeholdersto shed light on the viewpoints of decision-makers and stakeholders with regard to local authority care services for senior citizens.
Furthermore, insights are to be gained into the influence that local committees and networks can have on these processes.
Of particular interest are the success factors and obstacles involved in establishing sustainable, senior-friendly care structures in social spheres.
In the course of the project, special attention will also be paid to digital transformation.
The aim is to analyse the extent to which local authorities’ existing processes and services include approaches to digital formats and where the experts believe there is further potential for digital support.