Caring Neighbourhoods

Caring Neighbourhoods

The care for elderly people needs to change fundamentally. By 2040, around 26% of the population will be 65 or older, with one-third of them over 80. The need for care is growing and becoming more difficult, but there will be fewer care workers. We need to organise elderly care differently. ActiZ believes that the entire society should play a role in this. All over the Netherlands, caring communities are already emerging where neighbours look after each other. They organise care close to home, together with a neighbourhood or village support worker. This changes the role of care professionals: there are shorter lines of communication, more focus on preventing problems, and more technological support. Design studio morgenmakers is exploring this shift together with three care organisations. They are designing concepts for the care professional of the future. What tools will they need 20 years from now?