Organiser: Independent Living Association (Asociación para la Vida Independiente – AVI)
Collaborating organisation: Ramon Molinas Foundation.
Dates: 01/07/2022 – 31/12/2022.
Improving quality of life and autonomy of elderly people with dependency, a disability, or socioeconomic vulnerability with technology
The Ramon Molinas Foundation is collaborating with the Independent Living Association (Asociación para la Vida Independiente – AVI) with the aim of improving quality of life and promoting the personal autonomy of elderly people with dependency, a disability, or who are socioeconomically vulnerable. The initiative, launched in the city of Barcelona, conducts a thorough assessment of each participant and collates information from their local health clinic on their psychological state and the environment in which they live in order to provide them with a personalised technological solution.
The beneficiaries of the scheme, who are referred by Barcelona City Council social services, are elderly people who cannot carry out basic everyday activities by themselves, are from low-income backgrounds and require immediate help. The initiative prescribes and provides assistive technology and carries out modifications to the homes of vulnerable elderly people. Aside from improving the quality of life and promoting personal autonomy in the elderly, the programme allows them to live in safety and with dignity in their own home.
Assistive technology, tools that help the elderly live and age with dignity in their own home
Adaptation technology for the homes of elderly people with a dependency, a disability, or who are socioeconomically vulnerable is a pilot programme that aims to study and contrast the impact of assistive technology in creating an accessible home.
To create an accessible home that is smart, digital, and universal, the Independent Living Association evaluates assistive technology based on how much it is able to adapt to users’ needs, the extent to which it interrupts daily activities, whether it needs much configuration or maintenance, and its affordability.
After assessing the personal needs of each individual, the programme can prescribe, provide and install safety features such as advanced teleassistance solutions, alarms or door viewers; communication aids such as adapted telephones, doorbell and telephone amplifiers or voice recognition devices; or products that improve comfort such as installing motors for doors, blinds or curtains, among others. Lastly, the programme offers training in how to use the assistive technology installed in the home.
The process of prescribing technological support products and making adaptions to homes
After a referral from the Barcelona City Council social services, the Independent Living Association makes the first call and collects the needs and limitations of the user on a day-to-day basis. Next, a visit is coordinated to the Centre for Independent Living (CVI) run by the organisation in Barcelona. During the visit to the facilities, CVI staff teach, explain and evaluate the most suitable technological support products for mobility, basic everyday activities, communication and safety.
Once the visit has finished, a meeting is scheduled at the user’s home to explore the suitability of the recommended technological support recommended and estimate how to best adapt the home to support the devices required, which might involve making modifications to the interior of the home and if necessary, eliminating any architectural barriers that might prevent the user from going about their daily life.
To make changes in the home, the Independent Living Association works with a team of professional experts who evaluate the needs of each person to ensure the action taken is personalised to their life and their family’s lives. The team are trained in different specialities: physiotherapists, speech therapists, pedagogues, occupational therapists, social workers and architects who ensure the modifications are both functional and constructive. In addition, the organisation processes the administrative requirements and takes charge of contracting the construction companies that will carry out the reforms. Lastly, professionals at the Independent Living Association train the beneficiaries of the scheme on the assistive devices that have been provided and monitor how they are getting on with the new technology.
The Independent Living Association, an organisation launched in 2007 with the intention of promoting the use of assistive devices and technology
The Independent Living Association is a leading organisation in Catalonia that works to promote and evaluate assistive products and technology with the aim of improving the quality of life and autonomy of elderly people, people with disabilities, or people with any other type of dependency, as well as their families and carers.
The organisation was founded the Centre for Independent Living in 2008 with the aim of promoting innovation in the field of social assistance in Catalonia and becoming a thought leader in promoting personal autonomy. The Independent Living Association has more than 13 years of experience delivering projects in care, training, and research. One of the objectives of the association is to develop research programmes that evaluate innovative products for use in care or support.
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