En Digitalisering av Besøksvenntjenesten

Abstract

Loneliness is a growing problem in the entire society. Around 4 out of 10 people over the age of 80 are lonely, and almost half of those who live alone or have impaired health are troubled by loneliness (Regjeringen, 2022). Today, every third elderly live alone, a number that will double by 2040 (Flor, 2022). Eventhough studies show that a large number of older people are satisfied with their lives, as they advance in age, the occurrence of depressive symptoms and feelings of loneliness tends to increase (Folkehelseinstituttet. (n.d.). In order to address these needs, measures have been implemented at both the government and local municipality levels (Meld. St. 24 (2022–2023) Fellesskap og meistring — Bu trygt heime). One such measure is Komp. Komp is a technological product specifically aimed at older people with the aim of reducing unwanted social isolation and loneliness, and increase contact with family and friends across generations (Oppedal et al, 2019, p.3). For the Komp to work properly, the user needs to have an active social network, consisting of family and/or friends. For those who lack that social network, Komp is not an attractive or usable welfare technology (Oppedal, Askheim, & Haldar, 2019). By being able to combine Komp with the Visitior Friend Service offered by the Red Cross, we aimed at filling this gap with both new content and a Digital Visiting Friend. This project has also created new values to the internal Red Cross system by creating a program that enables them to widen their list of potential Visiting Friends, potentially shortening the connection time.