The Potential of ICT in supporting Immigrant Careworkers in Domiciliary Care in Italy

Abstract

The report explores the use of ICT and ICT-based assistive technologies in long-term care of dependent older people in Italy, considering in particular the large number of immigrants employed by Italian families as personal care assistants. An introductory overview of ICT opportunities in this field is followed by a short description of the actual deployment of these technologies in Italy and of the situation of immigrant careworkers (with detailed information in the annexes). Given that the development of ICT use in home care was found to be limited, including by immigrant careworkers, the report provides mostly hypothetical and prospective-level tentative answers to the main research questions. These concern the potential mediation role of migrant careworkers in the use of ICT in personal home care and the use of ICT to professionally qualify these workers and enhance their living conditions. The report is based on a pilot study, which included field interviews of key informants, stakeholders and 24 careworkers in Northern and Central Italy, carried out between January and March 2008.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ