Digital housing services work for seniors too
Age is no obstacle to learning digital services: the key lies in the right support and mindset. Lahti Foundation of Housing and Services for the Elderly and Folkhälsan have integrated digital solutions into residents’ daily lives, ensuring that seniors keep up with developments and remain active members of their communities. Experience has shown that with proper guidance, anyone can learn. At the same time, digital tools can strengthen community and inclusion.
Case: Lahti Foundation of Housing and Services for the Elderly (Kartanonkulma building)
Challenge: The Foundation wants to help older people adopt digital skills so they don’t get left behind by progress and risk social exclusion.
Solution: All communication and information is provided 100% digitally via the resident app and digital notice boards. The interface of the notice boards caters to a wide range of users: text can be enlarged, and the display lowered to suit wheelchair users. The building also uses a digital booking calendar for reserving common spaces and services, including a lounge, laundry room, and fitness area.
Result: The Foundation has recognized that the need for support and guidance should never be denied or overlooked. With proper coaching, even inexperienced users can learn to use digital services – regardless of age or starting point. Digital tools also foster community among seniors. Residents help each other with digital challenges, and resident coordinators actively support the adoption of services.
“When guiding residents in digital matters, you naturally get to know them and talk about other housing issues as well. This helps ensure they will continue to feel comfortable reaching out to the resident coordinator,” summarizes resident coordinator Mari Kokko.
Read the article: Lahti Foundation of Housing and Services for the Elderly breaks unnecessary prejudices towards seniors and digitalization
Case: Folkhälsan
Challenge: Folkhälsan needed a way to share information with residents quickly and easily. In a senior living community, it was also important to ensure that residents’ family members could access updates, news, and contact details effortlessly.
Solution: Folkhälsan currently uses One4all’s digital service platform in five locations: Ruskeasuo, Käpylä, and Tapiola, with a total of 13 digital notice boards. In three buildings, residents also use the One4all Mobile app alongside the digital notice boards.
Result: Folkhälsan is highly satisfied with the service.
“When Gullkrona was completed in 2018, One4all’s digital notice boards were part of the package, so to speak, and the decision was made by the developer at the time. We were impressed by how quick and easy it is to share information digitally, which is why we decided to invest in the digital service at Majblomma in 2022 as well,” explains Folkhälsan’s technical manager Nicklas Ekström.
The combination of digital services and older residents might raise questions, but Ekström says the residents have embraced the service very well. Folkhälsan has also listened to residents’ feedback regarding font style and text size on the screens. The digital notice boards are actively used not only by residents but also by their visiting family members.
Read the article: Folkhälsan invests in well-executed communication and housing services through the One4all digital service platform
This article is an ai-generated translation of the original article in Finnish.
