Kungsbacka Municipality
Introduction
Discover how Kungsbacka Municipality challenged traditional care models to create meaningful and stimulating activities for its care recipients. By searching for innovative solutions to promote conversation and dialogue between care recipients, relatives and employees, they took the step into the world of welfare technology. Focusing on VR technology, they identified an opportunity to offer unique experiences for people with various physical and mental challenges.
Challenge
Karlstad thought about how, with the help of digital scalable technology, they could make people experience what it feels like to live with different types of cognitive impairment, in a way that would:
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Act as part of training/retraining for staff, where multiple people can share the same experience at the same time.
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Contribute to a better understanding of the situation of those affected.
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Be able to support different experiences, based on different types of cognitive impairment.
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Scaled up and further developed in small steps.
The digital service would mean that those who take part in it gain an increased ability to make everyday life more understandable for the individuals concerned, as well as an increased ability to meet the needs of those individuals who are unable to express what they want or need. This increases and strengthens the sense of security and trust in the care staff of those concerned.
Solution
Karlstad's philosophy regarding the solution to the challenge "Experience my reality" was that the solution needed to be based on a real perceived need from the public sector and developed in an agile process together with companies and the public sector. The service would be scalable and thus also develop over time, and the needs analysis was integrated into the entire process. The solution that emerged is a digital competence development tool with VR as an enabler and supports employees in what it is like to live with different types of cognitive impairment. This contributes to a better understanding of the situation of those concerned and contributes to quality assurance of care.
Results
The result has been positive for both LSS & elderly care employees. By undergoing an interactive training, the employee gets a "wow" experience and experiences a completely different feeling about the training situation than with a classic classroom training. VR as a motivational tool is powerful as the experience entails a sensation of being in the environment and experiencing the event firsthand. The fact that several people can share the same experience at the same time means that it is also possible to compare the experience, to develop the discussion about appropriate approaches and, based on the experience, to gain insight into how the care can be carried out in a better way.