Welfare technology in health- and social care: perceptions and positions of board members in Swedish pensioners’ organizations

Abstract

Swedish national policy emphasizes welfare technology as an integral part of future health and social care provision for older people. This study examines how representatives of the two largest pensioners’ organizations in Sweden perceived and adopted stances regarding the implementation and use of welfare technology in health and social care. It also seeks to understand the democratic implications of welfare technology, expressed in terms of participation and agency and impacts on the health of older people and informal carers. Four focus groups were organized to determine how representatives of the two largest pensioners’ organizations in Sweden perceive the implementation of welfare technology in the health and social care sectors for their members and articulate related positions. The participants perceived welfare technology with concern, anticipating a harsher society for those lacking support from informal carers, and regarded the opportunity for participation and agency as limited. They expressed commitment to and solidarity with excluded groups, emphasizing the importance of leaving no one behind when care services are delivered via welfare technology. The participants adapted to the prescribed norm within the discourse, correcting their way of speaking and expressing critique rather subtly. Our findings have implications for policy, highlighting the importance of older people’s participation and the central role of informal carers in the social welfare system. Carers’ contributions were deemed critical in providing not only emotional support and companionship but also in facilitating daily living activities and healthcare management, essential for maintaining the dignity and quality of life of the older person.