SkypeCare

Hungary

01-12-2010

01-12-2013

The main aim of the service is to facilitate communication, at-a-distance, between carers and care recipients, in order to oppose social isolation and depression of the latter.

The Institute of Sociology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences elaborated the initiative in 2009 and the pilot programme started in 2010, when the Hungarian Maltese Charity service and a small entrepreneur evaluated the programme positively and ensured its costs.

The programme had two goals:

- to explore whether Skype video calls improve the quality of life of long-term care recipients in Hungary, and if so, in what way;

- to find out how Skype video calls can help family carers.

 Care Recipients
 Informal carers
 Paid assistants
 Formal carers

Not available

 Independent Living
 Information and learning for carers
 Personal Support and Social Integration for carer
 Care coordination

Skype helps carers and care recipients to keep communicate at-a-distance.

Personal computer and an internet connection

Private only

Other: please specify

Not applicable

Other: please specify

- Non-profit funding: charity, volunteer organisation, NGO.

- Private company.

Not applicable

After the end of the pilot project, and in light of the positive impact, both the small business owner and the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service donated the PCs to the care centres. In addition, the senior participants undertook to pay the internet subscription (15-21 euros/month). For the subsequent programme, the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service is providing 50 PCs and the internet connection for 1 year. In view of its low cost, the initiative is expected to spread rapidly with the reutilization of old computers from institutions, firms, etc., and will involve sponsors, families, and older people who pay for all or a part, of buying a PC and an internet connection. Other research projects will investigate this type of communication to answer further questions. An essential part of the fund-raising strategy is dissemination at multiple levels.

€ 0 - 10,000

The HMCS funded the project providing 10 PCs and internet connection.

 Authorities
 Private Care Sector
 Health and Social Care Systems
 Third Sector
 Private Companies

Secondary schools.

The Hungarian Maltese Charity Service is the main funder, by providing PCs and an internet connection.

 Informal Carers
 Health Professionals
 Social Care Professionals
 Privately-Hired Care Assistants (inc. Migrant Care Workers)
 Volunteers

The project involved users with the following characteristics (Szeman Z., 2013)

• moderate to serious chronic physical or cognitive disorders (such as severe asthma, multiple illnesses – e.g. cardiovascular disorders
• limited mobility
• lonely and/or depressed (2 paticipants had attempted suicide several times)
• recipients of home care for mental and/or physical problems
• restricted network of interpersonal contacts
• no experience using a computer and the internet
• family carers with a PC and an internet connection.
• A sample size of 15 people:

• 10 in the capital (Budapest, 3rd district),
• 5 in a county seat (Székesfehérvár in West-Hungary)

Furthermore, the project required technicians to install the PCs and connect them to the internet.

Volunteers (teenagers from a secondary school) were recruited to instruct the senior people to use the PC, a mouse and Skype. Regular help was ensured by the regular weekly visits of the 16-year-old students.

11 - 100

15 older people in the pilot phase and 50 seniors in the second phase.

In order to find resources for future programmes, the initiative was disseminated and promoted through the media, the internet, scientific conferences, and journals. In addition, meetings were organised with decision-makers, and stakeholders such as students, older people and pensioners’ organisations. Furthermore, companies were contacted to sponsor a potential target group by offering free internet connections for a certain period in the interest of later profit. It was thought older people would become subscribers once the internet became a part of their lives.

By allowing informal carers to communicate with their frail family, the service positively impacted informal carers’ quality of life.

The service helped older people who cannot leave their home, because of chronic physical or cognitive disorders, to avoid social isolation and fight depression. An additional benefit of the service was to induce the acceptability of ICT use among older people.

The participating seniors were highly motivated to stay in contact with family and friends. By the fourth month, even the most unskilled users acquired new knowledge using the internet. After spending 3-5 hours a day on the internet (chat, email, Google search, Skype, etc.) the older people were no longer depressed, they gained a new daily activity, developed new goals in their life and had the desire to learn something new. The older people no longer needed mental health care and there were no new suicide attempt. The social work students found the formerly depressed people to be open-minded and cheerful. Family carers also mentioned a basic amelioration in their mental health.

At the end of the programme, all the senior participants were willing to pay the monthly internet fee, because using Skype and the internet had fundamentally altered their life. They now had some new goals, wanted to live and be a socially integrated member of society (Széman , 2013).

The service could have an impact on companies and the labour market, because it helps informal carers to reconcile work and caring tasks (Széman, 2013).

By avoiding social isolation, the service prevents depression and other psychological disorders and reduces drugs use and hospital admissions (Széman, 2013).

Strengths

1. Many families were willing to purchase a PC for their older members, because they found the initiative very interesting and helpful.
2. Contrary to the assumptions of the families and society, the programme showed that most of the older people with serious health problems, and receiving long-term care, were able to learn to use Skype and the internet very quickly.
3. The service helped older people to have a “new life” by maintaining or strengthening family relationships, keeping old relationships alive and widening peoples social network and developing new interests (listening to music, reading the paper, shopping etc. online, chatting, emailing).
4. Less burden on family carers by saving time and costs (e.g. no travel to check, less stress for the family).
5. Transfer of up-to- date ICT knowledge by a younger generation resulted in the shrinkage of a knowledge gap between generations.
6. One consequence was a stronger intergenerational relationship.
7. The possibility of involving younger generations in eldercare.
8. Cost savings for social and health institutions. (Illnesses caused by loneliness disappeared leading to less medication use and medical treatment.)
9. A new stratum of consumers was created. (PCs and internet connections)
10. There was greater empathy of a younger generation towards problems of older people.
11. There was more volunteering.
12. Older people could experience new useful activities (3-5 hours) that could be made daily.
13. The service helped social integration, as it enhanced the relationships between two different generations.
14. The service increased well-being of older people from the psychological point of view, as it improved their mood and prevented depression.
15. The service provided higher quality of life for older people in particular, as they learnt a new way for being in contact with relatives, carers and the world out of their home.
16. The initiative is easily transferable
17. Less educated people and older peoples’ communities/organisations can be involved
18. Re-use of old, but functioning computers.

Weaknesses

1. The prejudice of families/society have slowed down the spread of the service. (Often the older people who were willing to participate in the programme, withdrew their permission at the last minute, because the family had convinced them or simply not allowed them to participate).
2. Poor ICT infrastructure (e.g. lack of proper broadband/3G mobile internet in some areas).

Opportunities

1. Some charities might be interested in funding the initiative in the future.

Threats/Challenges

1. There is still much prejudice regarding the ICT learning capacity of older people.
2. Initially, the older people needed help, because of lack of hand strength and poor eyesight, the lack of experience using a PC, fear of modern technology, dislike of mobile phones and forgetting things they were taught. Different solutions were found to solve these problems. The computer was modified (e.g., a large font and icons were used, the screen distance was altered, etc.), hand exercises were instituted before using the mouse and psychological support was supplied (constant encouragement, conversation, positive feedback).
3. Finding sponsors, partly due to prejudice, to cover the internet fee until the older persons are convinced to pay it for themselves.
4. Helping old generations, institutions and decision-makers in overcoming the prejudice in the use of ICT by older people and recognizing it useful and a way for struggling social isolation and supporting independent living (Széman, 2013).

When the initiative successfully entered the second phase with more participants (50) in a wider distribution (rural and industrial areas), its scalability was demonstrated.

The transfer of the initiative required suitable infrastructure, young volunteers, a mediator, preliminary training of the older person’s carer and the family, persuasion of decision-makers at the local and macro levels, and potential sponsors.

Other regions are interested in employing this approach and are in the process of fundraising (Szeman S., 2013)

Publications:

-Széman Z. (2012) SKYPE az idősgondozásban: egy intervenciós kutatás tapasztalatai (Skype in eldercare, experiences of an intervention research). Esély, pp. 38-53, 2012/2. English abstract, p. 129.

- Széman Z. (2012) Skype Care. Skype in eldercare: experience of an intervention research. Q-Ageing Conference, Vienna 2 March 2012

http://q-ageing.eu/presentations/ACTIVE%20AGENDA%20CORNER%20A/Zsuzsa_Széman_SKYPECare.pdf

-European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, IPTS, JRC, "e-Inclusion Strategic Support 2020 - II – SMART 2010/0076", Mapping Report 2.2.1d, The CARICT project - ICT-based solutions for caregivers: Assessing their impact on the sustainability of long-term care in an ageing Europe. Contract Number IPTS-2010-J04-44-RC, Analysis and Mapping of 52 ICT-based initiatives, pp. 37, 53, 56, 73, 110, 113, 205, available at http://is.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pages/EAP/eInclusion/documents/CARICTD2.3Mappingof52initiatives.pdf

References:

Széman Z. (2013) Skype in Elder Care case study in Santini S., Barbabella F., Lamura G., Deliverable 2.1- AIDA Project (Advancing Integration for a Dignified Ageing)- Album of good practices, available at http://www.projectaida.eu/?page_id=11

 

Contacts

Zsuzsa Széman, Institute for Sociology,

CSS, HAS, 1014 Budapest Országház u. 30.

E-mail: szemanzs@hu.inter.net