MODERN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SOCIAL WORK WITH THE ELDERLY PEOPLE: BELGOROD REGION EXPERIENCE

ABSTRACT

The article examines the experience of using modern information technologies in the activities of social work specialists on the example of the Belgorod region. Furthermore, this work outlines the types of various modern digital devices that is used in home care for the elderly by social services.

Keywords: Belgorod region, information technologies, national project, federal project, Demography, Older generation, social services, elderly people.

There is an increasing trend in the number of elderly people in our country today. The Russian population is aging rapidly: today, one in four Russians has already crossed the pension threshold. While in 1937 the share of Russians aged 60 years and over was only 7%, in 2010 it was 21%, by 2050, according to forecasts, it will exceed 35%. [1]

In order to increase the life expectancy of senior citizens and improve its quality, since January 2019, Russia has been implementing the federal project "Older Generation" (part of the national project "Demography"), whose task is to develop a systematic support programme for the elderly.

The main aim of the federal programme is the transition to a ''new type'' of social service system. The most popular and cost-effective form of care is home-based care. More than 1.2 million people receive services at home each year, compensating for the lack of kinship care and keeping them in their familiar environment.

The Belgorod region has one of the highest life expectancies in the Russian Federation - 73 years. Life expectancy for recipients of social services averages 80 years. [4]

The growing number of elderly people, including those living alone, in need of social support and targeted social assistance, leads to the search for new, more and more advanced forms and types of social services using modern information technologies. [5]

So, in order to optimize the system of home services, 230 Belgorod social workers took part in a pilot project called "Tablet for Social Worker". The social workers received electronic tablets equipped with automated client and service accounting software.

The first to receive the tablets were the Borisovsky and Krasnogvardeysky District Social Service Centres. All staff members have undergone technical training and are successfully using the equipment in their work.

According to Natalya Kryachko from the Borisovsky centre, the new technology helps her considerably in her work. The specialist noted that now all she has to do is to press a couple of buttons and all the data is automatically sent to a common database. Virtually all handwritten paperwork has recently been eliminated. “The tablets are replacing our reports and diaries, they contain all the data and you only need to select the list of services rendered. The formalities now take only a few minutes and leave more time to help elderly people”.

The use of tablets in everyday work also makes it possible to speed up doctor's appointments, check the availability of medicines in nearby pharmacies, monitor prices and order medicines online. In particular, gadgets are used in computer and financial literacy classes for older people. Thanks to the tablets, many elderly people in the region have been able to use various online services, including the State Service portal.

As well the use of electronic services has significantly reduced the time it takes to receive social services. For example, it used to take an average of an hour and a half for social workers to pay for housing and utilities services when they visited the post office in person. Now it takes 20 minutes. The time to process social payments was reduced from five hours to half an hour. It is now twice as fast to receive technical rehabilitation equipment. You can apply for a wheelchair online and have it delivered to your home.

The social workers are also able to make instant messenger calls at the request of their clients and to organise virtual communication with relatives and acquaintances. The social workers have more time to spend with lonely elderly people. Previously, it used to take about ten minutes, but now it takes about half an hour. In the future, with the development of online health care, it will be possible to get consultations with social workers at home using a tablet.

A total of 1,500 social workers in the Belgorod region provide services at home. By 2024, each of them will receive an office tablet, which will help relieve employees from time-consuming paperwork and reduce the time spent on formalities by 2.5 times.

Another additional social support measure for the elderly and disabled in the Belgorod region was the introduction of a new "panic button" service. Over 4 years, elderly and disabled Belgorod residents have received 400 "panic button" bracelets for emergency socio-medical assistance. Thanks to these bracelets, the elderly are provided with the necessary emergency assistance for 24 hours a day. [3]

The emergency call button service is organised according to the "Helpline" principle. The device enables direct, hands-free calling to call centre staff who are medically and socially trained, to ask for emergency services or to contact a relative or a social worker. Communication can take place both at home and away from home. Specialised ambulance services, the fire brigade, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the police are involved in providing assistance. During this time, specialists have received more than 16,000 callbacks.

The Ministry of Social Protection and Labour of the Belgorod region explained that several types of "panic button" are currently in use. For example, GPS bracelets with a "panic button" and with a fall sensor. These are wristwatches with a SIM card and voice communication. With them, an automatic alarm call in case of a fall is sent to a 24-hour help centre. [3]

In addition, the Ministry also purchases special smartphones with "panic button" software and a fall sensor. The mobile phone has a colour screen with large characters and features a loud speaker and high-quality microphone, a built-in GPS tracker, and a pulse and blood pressure sensor as well. The gadget detects signs of a fall and sends an emergency signal to a 24-hour help centre.

The "panic button" service is primarily designed to protect and support lonely people. The presence of the "panic button" does not require the presence of an outsider, but it instills a sense of security, a feeling that help is always near, and this is very important for the elderly and disabled person. The system makes it possible, at the touch of a button, to contact a medical operator at any time and receive medical, social and domestic advice.

The statistics on the specific needs of older people, allows to improve the social care infrastructure. The number of "unproductive" calls to emergency services, district doctors and social workers is significantly reduced.

The right to use the panic button is granted to elderly single people with limited mobility (women over 55 and men over 60) living in the Belgorod region who have a doctor's recommendation. To get the device, they need to submit an application to a comprehensive social services centre in their area of residence.

The "panic button" service is financed from the city budget. [3]

In this article we have described the experience of social services with the elderly using various modern digital devices on the example of the Belgorod region.

Thus, we can conclude that the social sphere in Russia has changed significantly in recent years. It responds both to the challenges of time and to the increased level of demands from the citizens themselves. [5]

In line with the national goal of increasing the longevity and improving the quality of life of elderly citizens, social work specialists in Belgorod region are improving the practice of social service provision, expanding the range of social services, and introducing new information technologies.

As we can see, the use of service tablets in daily work has optimised the work of social workers, freed up time to provide social services, improved the quality of services for older people, promptly solved their problems, increased accounting efficiency, speed of tasks and significantly reduced paperwork.

And thanks to the implementation of the "Older Generation" project of the national project "Demography", elderly citizens in the Belgorod region have received devices equipped with "panic buttons" to ensure their safety.

Studying the problems of elderly people allows us to conclude that today there are many ways of assisting and monitoring them , both in everyday life and in emergency situations.

All of the above examples justify the need to introduce a variety of modern digital devices into the home care of the elderly population.

It is evident, the development of new gadget "assistants" is ongoing, which means that the quality of life of older people will improve. And professionals working in the social sector need to keep improving their skills and knowledge in line with scientific and technological advances and the needs of society.

References:

1. Bibikova E. Our aim is to help people live their lives to the fullest for as long as possible. — URL: https://sotszashita.ru/articles/demography/elena-bibikova-nasha-zadacha-pomoch-cheloveku-maksimalno-dolgo-zhit-polnotsennoy-zhiznyu/
2. Biryukova, Y. A. Features of social work with the elderly / Y. A. Biryukova. // Young scientist. — 2020. — № 11 (301). — С. 147-149. — URL: https://moluch.ru/archive/301/67931/
3. Ilyushnikova N. 400 panic buttons were bought for elderly Belgorod residents and disabled people over 4 years. — URL: https://belgorod.bezformata.com/listnews/goda-kupili-400-trevozhnih/113555315/
4. Experience of Belgorod region in implementing the models of the World Health organization in the field of gerontology / E.P. Batanova, K.I. Proshchaev, V.I. Sushkova, S.G. Gorelik, I.S. Noskova. — URL: http://gerontology.su/files/pdf/328-pdf.
5. Svishcheva I.K. Activating technologies of social services for the elderly in modern Russia // Social work in the modern world: interaction of science, education and practice: proceedings of the international scientific-practical conference / edited by O.A. Volkova, E.I. Mozgovaya. Belgorod: Belgorod State University, 2016. — С. 308-312. — URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/aktiviziruyuschie-tehnologii-sotsialnogo-obsluzhivaniya-kak-faktor-uluchsheniya-sotsialnogo-samochuvstviya-pozhilyh-lyudey-i