Lost in digitalization? Municipality employment of welfare technologies

Introduction: Swedish municipalities face a number of daunting challenges; an aging population, the public’s increased demands and expectations on municipality services, and a strained economy to mention some. Welfare technology, a Scandinavian concept launched to promote digitalization, is seen as one solution to meet these challenges.Objective: Despite these promises, few welfare technology applications are offered by local Swedish municipalities and care organizations. Numerous studies have shown that Swedish municipalities have a great interest in welfare technologies.Methods: In this article, we draw on empirical research in one Swedish municipality. Through two case studies it is illustrated how technological change and municipality employment of welfare technologies are employed.Results: These case studies show how core values of care are being lost in the quest for digitalization due to the lack of organizational skills and knowledge in transforming the relationship of caregiving and care-receiving through the use of digital technology.Conclusions: Digitalization and welfare technologies deployed ought to represent and support the core values of caregiving and to receive care. Thus, digital transformation most likely will transform conditions for care receivers and working conditions for care workers. New work processes will evolve, which in turn produce new meanings of home help service work and caregiving.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONDigitalization and the use of new digital technologies imply changes in care value creation. New digital activities deviate from classic caregiving, which in turn can offer opportunities to expand and enrich the experience of receiving care but it can also have negative effects on the received care if incorrectly employed.Digitalization must be regarded as an evolutionary process, in which mistakes and failures are allowed and corrected.Long-term strategies, infrastructure, clear goals and commitments are key for successful digitalization of eldercare.