The eight partners in the project have during the time of program exchanged many ideas, that can be integrated in their own social and health educations, within the theme of Welfare Technology and Innovative Methods. The project involved many teachers and staff from the schools and from the world of work, who participated in the project's five activities in the partner countries. The five learning activities were hosted by partners in Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Spain and Denmark. The project also included partners from Greece, the Netherlands and Germany.
The aim of the project is through new insight and exchange of knowledge to strengthen education of students and give them better skills in the use of the increasingly widespread welfare technology, which is more and more available in the nursing and hospital sector. The assumption for the project was that there is a gap between the competences of staff and the need in the work places that must be covered in order to make better use of this technology in the future.
In the project was also developed a learning objective with description of learning outcomes regarding welfare technology. The learning objective is intended to be one of eight learning objectives for exchange students, who are practicing abroad during their education in the welfare field, to ensure that students can gain knowledge on how to use welfare technology in nursing and the hospital sector in other EU countries. The description of the learning outcome is available on the KA2 project’s Facebook site.
From country to country, there is variation in which kind of welfare technology is used in the health sector and how it is taught at the schools. The project provided a useful exchange of experience on the use of welfare technology and innovative methods, and the participants had the opportunity to discuss advantages and disadvantages. The project activities also inspired partners to make investments in some of the presented new welfare technologies. Among others, the Danish model of the “Knowledge Center for Welfare Technology” and the “Smart Home” from Belgium aroused great interest in similar initiatives, locally or regionally, among several partners. In addition, innovative ways of development of new technologies in cooperation between schools and research departments in universities are other examples of inspiring activities in the project.
A survey with questions for staff at hospitals, elderly care centers and home care on the use of welfare technology and innovation in the various EU countries was carried out in the project. From the conclusions of the survey it was confirmed, that there is generally a need for more training of staff of use of welfare technologies in order to optimally benefit from investments in such technologies.
The project ends on May 31, 2020, but there will also in the future be opportunities for everyone with interest in the social and health care profession to find inspiration and to inspire others by adding posts through the project's Facebook group called EC EUVET - Healthcare - Welfare Technology and Innovation.
For further questions about the project, please contact Karen Inge Wahlgreen: kaw@zbc.dk, tel. 41721020 or Malene Olsgaard: olsg@zbc.dk, tel. 41711084
