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Kanta-Häme Pioneers a new model for remote solutions for Home Care Services through the iHAC Project

Driven by a commitment to improve remote care options for the elderly, Kanta-Häme’s wellbeing services county seized the opportunity to transform its home care digital services by joining the iHAC project, with the support of Nordic Healthcare Group (NHG). The goal? To create an integrated, cohesive model that ensures equitable access to remote care across the region. 

“We already had quite a bit of data from different areas, but it was scattered. Through workshops with staff, we were able to expand and deepen our understanding,” explains Niina Päärnä, Head of Kanta-Häme’s Digital and Remote Care Center. 

The workshops not only gathered insights from staff but also involved relatives of home care users and representatives from senior organizations. This provided a well-rounded perspective on care needs and areas for improvement. Additionally, home care professionals, even those outside the remote and digital team, were able to contribute practical suggestions, giving the project a strong connection to on-the-ground realities. 

The project’s outcome is a consolidated resource that lays the groundwork for a unified model of remote care services within home care. This will also serve as a crucial tool for onboarding new employees, as familiarity with digital services can vary significantly. 

“Our aim is to raise the share of remote visits in home care from 5 percent to 8 percent over the next year,” states Anne Hintsala, Director of Home Care at Kanta-Häme Welfare Area. 

Evaluation of the project highlights that it has helped identify further foundational needs. Moving forward, the new models are being established and plans are underway to publish the operational model on the welfare area’s website to increase awareness of remote and digital home care services among elderly residents and their families. 

“We’d like to extend our thanks to NHG for their outstanding facilitation of the workshops, which allowed us to bring this project to successful completion despite a tight schedule,” says Marjo Kollanen, Project Consultant at Kanta-Häme Welfare Area.