The Good Move

Participants from Design School Kolding: Rikke Colfach Karlsen, Kerstin Bro Egelund, Laila Grøn Truelsen

Research and development project type: Research and development
Project period: Jun - Nov 2016
Project management: Laila Grøn Truelsen
LAB: Social Design
LAB theme: Citizenship and Agency
Ongoing-ness
Collaboration partners: Kolding kommune

Background

The project is based on the awareness that many older people and their relatives experience a difficult and stressful period when the elderly person moves from his or her own home to a nursing home.

Challenge

The project is based on the awareness that many older people and their relatives experience a difficult and stressful period when the elderly person moves from his or her own home to a nursing home. It is experienced as a transition period that is associated with great uncertainty and insecurity, and it often takes a long time for the elderly person to settle into his or her new home. Some older people take up to a whole year to fit into their new surroundings. One factor that is important for the success is the collaboration between the relatives of the elderly person and the staff at the nursing home. Collaboration is vital in regard to expectations about roles and about what life is like at the nursing home. Based on this knowledge the goal is to make the relocation process as positive, safe and coherent as possible.

Rikke and Gunnar sit down for a chat about life in the nursing home and how you define happiness.

Project goal/objective

We are developing the project "The Good Move" for Kolding Municipality. The project takes place at two nursing homes, the Vonsild Have neighbourhood and Vesterled nursing home. One is a private nursing home and the other is run by the municipality. The purpose of the project is to map the relocation process from the time the initial decision to move mother/father to a nursing home is made until he/she is well settled in their new residence. The goal of the project is to help support the transition from one life phase to another in the best way possible. Challenges are being identified as well as barriers in connection with the relocation process. Subsequently solutions must be found that help to improve the quality of life for the elderly resident and make the process of relocation more coherent and manageable for residents, relatives and staff. Furthermore, the project will provide a basis for positive cooperation between residents, relatives and employees.

Methods and outcome of the project

The framework for the project has been planned prior to the start of the project and must include a concrete proposal for a type of "welcome packet." After the last steering committee meeting on 10 October the deliverable has been changed to a "Relocation Package" which must contain an overview of the process towards moving into a nursing home and what tasks must be completed by whom and when. In addition, a format for completing the new resident's life story must be designed in order to facilitate cooperation between residents, relatives and staff in order to create good relationships. Through observations, interviews with residents, relatives, staff and government officials, focus groups and two workshops a qualitative needs analysis has been conducted that has generated four options that outline the challenges before, during and after moving to a nursing home. These options are the basis for the work on the project going forward. Since this is a coherent process, the content of the relocation package consists of solutions developed for each option. On 7 November, 2016 we presented a prototype of the relocation folder to the steering committee. They were very excited about the idea, and at a meeting on 21 November they will decide what should be included in Phase 2, which is about development and testing of the final product as well as implementation.