Welfare Technology in Practice : A Survey-Based Analysis of User Satisfaction, Expectations, and Needs
Svärdh, Samantha LU ; Schmidt, Steven LU
; Samuelsson, Ulli
; Iwarsson, Susanne
LU
and Fristedt, Sofi
LU
(2026)
In Journal of Technology in Human Services
p.1-23
- Abstract
- There is growing interest in using digital technology like welfare technology (WT) to support older adults (aged 75+) to age in place, particularly in Nordic countries. This cross-sectional survey study (n = 414), conducted in 18 Swedish municipalities, used descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to examine: user experiences related to satisfaction with WT, as well as users’ expectations and perceived needs for WT related to safety, independence, activity, and participation. Results indicate that appealing aesthetics, user involvement in WT-related decisions, and confidence in use are central to WT satisfaction, yet remain insufficient for many survey respondents. Survey respondents with poorer health reported lower... (More)
- There is growing interest in using digital technology like welfare technology (WT) to support older adults (aged 75+) to age in place, particularly in Nordic countries. This cross-sectional survey study (n = 414), conducted in 18 Swedish municipalities, used descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to examine: user experiences related to satisfaction with WT, as well as users’ expectations and perceived needs for WT related to safety, independence, activity, and participation. Results indicate that appealing aesthetics, user involvement in WT-related decisions, and confidence in use are central to WT satisfaction, yet remain insufficient for many survey respondents. Survey respondents with poorer health reported lower fulfillment expectations for WT, and those with lower economic status expressed less fulfillment of needs. Moreover, the specific WT acquired by participants provided limited support for older adults’ daily activities and participation, pointing to an important area for future research to address. These results reveal a clear misalignment between WT outcomes and Swedish policy objectives, as well as broader digital policy ambitions across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The study highlights the need for targeted improvements to enhance WT’s usability and impact, which should be carefully addressed by policymakers, technology developers, and care providers aiming to strengthen aging-in-place strategies. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- There is growing interest in using digital technology like wel
fare technology (WT) to support older adults (aged 75+) to age
in place, particularly in Nordic countries. This cross-sectional
survey study (n = 414), conducted in 18 Swedish municipalities,
used descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to
examine: user experiences related to satisfaction with WT, as
well as users’ expectations and perceived needs for WT related
to safety, independence, activity, and participation. Results indi
cate that appealing aesthetics, user involvement in WT-related
decisions, and confidence in use are central to WT satisfaction,
yet remain insufficient for many survey respondents. Survey... (More) - There is growing interest in using digital technology like wel
fare technology (WT) to support older adults (aged 75+) to age
in place, particularly in Nordic countries. This cross-sectional
survey study (n = 414), conducted in 18 Swedish municipalities,
used descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to
examine: user experiences related to satisfaction with WT, as
well as users’ expectations and perceived needs for WT related
to safety, independence, activity, and participation. Results indi
cate that appealing aesthetics, user involvement in WT-related
decisions, and confidence in use are central to WT satisfaction,
yet remain insufficient for many survey respondents. Survey
respondents with poorer health reported lower fulfillment
expectations for WT, and those with lower economic status
expressed less fulfillment of needs. Moreover, the specific WT
acquired by participants provided limited support for older
adults’ daily activities and participation, pointing to an import
ant area for future research to address. These results reveal a
clear misalignment between WT outcomes and Swedish policy
objectives, as well as broader digital policy ambitions across
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) countries. The study highlights the need for targeted
improvements to enhance WT’s usability and impact, which
should be carefully addressed by policymakers, technology
developers, and care providers aiming to strengthen aging-in
place strategies (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/b16d5652-ee03-435b-987e-1a909b4cf76c
- author
- Svärdh, Samantha
LU
; Schmidt, Steven
LU
; Samuelsson, Ulli
; Iwarsson, Susanne
LU
and Fristedt, Sofi
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-04-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Innovation; technology equity; digitalization; aging; gerontechnology; old age care his work was supported by the Kamprad Family Foundation for Entrepreneurship under Grant number 20210242, FORTE Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare under grant number 2021–02122, and the Ribbingska Foundation in Lund. The authors report there are no competing interests to declare. The data that support the find ings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, SAS. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.
- in
- Journal of Technology in Human Services
- pages
- 1 - 23
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105034891919
- ISSN
- 1522-8835
- DOI
- 10.1080/15228835.2026.2650760
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b16d5652-ee03-435b-987e-1a909b4cf76c
- date added to LUP
- 2026-04-27 10:16:53
- date last changed
- 2026-05-12 04:54:17
@article{b16d5652-ee03-435b-987e-1a909b4cf76c,
abstract = {{There is growing interest in using digital technology like welfare technology (WT) to support older adults (aged 75+) to age in place, particularly in Nordic countries. This cross-sectional survey study (n = 414), conducted in 18 Swedish municipalities, used descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to examine: user experiences related to satisfaction with WT, as well as users’ expectations and perceived needs for WT related to safety, independence, activity, and participation. Results indicate that appealing aesthetics, user involvement in WT-related decisions, and confidence in use are central to WT satisfaction, yet remain insufficient for many survey respondents. Survey respondents with poorer health reported lower fulfillment expectations for WT, and those with lower economic status expressed less fulfillment of needs. Moreover, the specific WT acquired by participants provided limited support for older adults’ daily activities and participation, pointing to an important area for future research to address. These results reveal a clear misalignment between WT outcomes and Swedish policy objectives, as well as broader digital policy ambitions across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The study highlights the need for targeted improvements to enhance WT’s usability and impact, which should be carefully addressed by policymakers, technology developers, and care providers aiming to strengthen aging-in-place strategies.}},
author = {{Svärdh, Samantha and Schmidt, Steven and Samuelsson, Ulli and Iwarsson, Susanne and Fristedt, Sofi}},
issn = {{1522-8835}},
keywords = {{Innovation; technology equity; digitalization; aging; gerontechnology; old age care his work was supported by the Kamprad Family Foundation for Entrepreneurship under Grant number 20210242, FORTE Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare under grant number 2021–02122, and the Ribbingska Foundation in Lund. The authors report there are no competing interests to declare. The data that support the find ings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, SAS. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{04}},
pages = {{1--23}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Journal of Technology in Human Services}},
title = {{Welfare Technology in Practice : A Survey-Based Analysis of User Satisfaction, Expectations, and Needs}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2026.2650760}},
doi = {{10.1080/15228835.2026.2650760}},
year = {{2026}},
}