Digital networking in home-based support of older adults in rural areas: Requirements for digital solutions

Abstract

Given the increasing numbers of elders in need of support living at home, digital solutions are developed to ensure good home-based care and support. From a perspective of qualitative urban sociology, the presented study aims to provide an overview of existing technologies for communication as well as networking social support for older adults especially in rural areas, as well as requirements for their dissemination. The focus is on digital networking via apps and platforms in Germany that provide digital support in the areas of participation/communication, mutual aid and/or professional services for older adults. For this purpose, interviews with representatives of 12 projects as well as workshops were conducted. Support mediated via the digital solutions was not always accepted as expected, not even during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure a sustainable and long-term use of the digital solutions, it is necessary to take into account the digital skills of the users, to deploy a supervisor and local networker, to find a suitable spatial dimension, to create an awareness of existing problems on site and to anchor the support in suitable structures.