IJERPH, Vol. 23, Pages 238: Towards Caring Technologies in Older Adult Care Through the Co-Creation of an Ethical Process Guide

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph23020238

Authors:
Elisabeth Honinx
Cato van Schyndel
Arend Roos
Emily Paulding
Toni Wright
Kathleen Galvin
Theofanis Fotis
Jorg Huber
Erik Laes
Nathalie Lambrechts

As populations age, the gap between care needs and available support systems is widening, leading to critical vulnerabilities in staffing, infrastructure, and funding. The need for accessible, human-centred, and ethically grounded care technologies is growing. However, the development of digital health tools often lacks inclusivity and practical guidance. Existing ethical frameworks tend to remain abstract, which limits their real-world application. This study examines how such frameworks support the responsible development and implementation of caring technologies in older adult care. To achieve this, in-depth interviews were conducted with care providers, technology developers, and policymakers from partner organisations of the EMPOWERCARE project in the four participating countries: the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. A core challenge was the limited applicability of abstract ethical principles in daily care settings. While existing initiatives often define ethical domains, few offer a structured, actionable process to guide implementation in practice. The proposed guide responds with a step-by-step structure, practical examples, and participatory tools to support inclusive, value-driven technology adoption. It is envisioned both as an implementation aid and a quality label to align stakeholders. Future research should validate the guide’s usability, explore its role across care contexts, and examine how ethics can be more firmly embedded in innovation governance.

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Elisabeth Honinx www.mdpi.com