Framework for ethical provision of remote care for seniors
The 'Ethical frameworks for telecare technologies for older people at home' (EFORTT) project examined the ethical, social and gender implications of home telecare services aimed at older citizens. The project focused on this population group in England, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain, and used observational and deliberative research methods (older citizens' panels). Researchers found that there are clear limitations to the role telecare systems can play. Telecare does not offer a technological fix for shortage of carers or shrinking budgets. It cannot replace health-care services or informal care networks. Study respondents noted serious concerns: telecare technologies may come to 'replace' face-to-face or hands-on care, as a means of cutting costs. Citizens' panels stressed the need for ethical and social questions to be considered in tandem with technical, political and economic ones. Based on research findings, the projectunderlined several characteristics of ethical telecare development. Older people want to be involved in designing, developing and decision-making about care. Once installed systems need to evolve with changing needs or usage patterns, rather than exist as a one-off installation of a fixed system. Feedback from older citizens, telecare monitoring centre workers, social care staff and others should be built into future design and implementation of systems so that older people are 'living with' telecare rather than 'living because' of it. The project has made significant contributions to areas identified in EFORTT's list of objectives. These included the uptake of the EFORTT telecare ethical framework by service providers who are seeking to redesign services. The project has shown the values of deliberative approaches to enhancing the legitimacy of telecare policymaking at European level. Bringing together the analyses of findings from the deliberative and ethnographic primary research resulted in an ethical framework which can be downloaded from the project's website along with a booklet for potential users, carers and families. EFORTT project partners and their work provided a critical contribution to policy debate, and produced recommendations and proposals for the implementation of ethical telecare. This topic is of utmost importance as Europe's population of older people not only grows, but also requires more independence and enhanced quality of life.
