Exposition shows home care possibilities
It is easy to get excited by new technology. But not everything that is possible is necessarily a good idea. In modern health care, this tension is felt every day. For example, it is already possible to create sensor networks that detect every movement people make in their homes, while advanced algorithms work to detect anomalies in the data patterns.
When designing new technological solutions for caretakers and their (informal) carers, it is of great importance to develop user driven solutions. This means to involve all stakeholders to get complete understanding of do's and don'ts from different perspectives. In doing so, we enable people to better understand that technology is able to bring a positive change into care situations.
Exposition on care
The City of Aalst stimulates innovation within informal care, and organises, supports and facilitates activities to support business innovation within this area.
In November 2017, the City of Aalst hosted the exhibition The Good Home: care, curated by Studio Dott and Designswarm.
The Good Home: care exposition dares to show failures and lacks of the innovations in health & care. The visitors of the exposition received a more balanced view on innovation; even in health tech failure exist. That creates an opportunity for the visitor to learn.
Creating understanding
The Good Home: care showcased healthcare projects, products and concepts within an actual house. The toilet flushed, the doorbell rang, water ran from the tap. The fact that all people (seniors, researchers, companies and caregivers) visiting could contextualise all presented material and relate it to an actual context of use, provided a useful common frame of reference for critical reflection.
In this way, it created understanding for businesses and researchers of the social impact of new technologies.