Norway’s population is aging, and in line with this, the prevalence of dementia increases.  At the same time, the caregiving workforce is expected to decline. Therefore, efficiency is essential in maintaining the current level of services. Welfare technology and the involvement of next of kin can both play important roles in achieving this.

The use of digital monitoring (such as RoomMate) is widespread in institutions and alerts staff in the event of falls or other incidents. Passive alert technology operates independently of the service recipient’s cognitive function and is particularly useful for people with dementia. Municipalities that use RoomMate as an integrated part of home care services have found that it can delay the need for nursing home placement. This saves resources but also aligns with the preference many people have to live in their own homes.

Next of kin play a central role in today’s eldercare, especially for recipients living at home. Some next of kin live in the same house or nearby, while others live farther away. Regardless of the living situation, many next of kin have expressed a desire to be involved, also in the alert chain.

In this master’s thesis, we have designed solutions that allow both cohabiting and non-cohabiting next of kin to access useful real-time data from RoomMate, while also maintaining the privacy of the recipient and visitors. We have also identified situations where it may be appropriate to deactivate the sensor when someone other than the recipient is present. We also present ideas for how this can be done without compromising the recipient’s safety.