DATAFIED CARE NETWORKS: EXPLORING THE MORE-THAN-HUMAN NETWORKS OF INFORMAL CARE

Background: Informal care, also known as unpaid or family care, constitutes a significant part of long-term care provision in Europe (EU, 2022). As such, it has often been the focus of techno-solutionist promises, where technologies are envisioned as simple and accessible tools to alleviate some of the well-documented burdens on informal caregivers. However, this techno-solutionism tends to overlooks the fact that informal caregivers already competently and routinely rely on various technologies to organize their care work. In this poster, we examine how informal care networks are constructed through and with technologies and explore the challenges that arise in these processes.
Methods: This poster presents results from a survey (n=250) of informal caregivers in Austria. The survey investigated caregivers’ care practices, their experiences of care stress and burden, and the actual and potential roles of (digital) technologies within their existing care networks.
Findings & Discussion: The findings indicate that informal caregivers actively integrate various technologies into their care networks to manage and facilitate caregiving. Frequently used technologies include communication apps, digitally supported care beds, and automated alarm systems. However, these infrastructures also reveal limitations, as older adults in need of care are significantly less likely to engage with the digital devices being used. These results underscore how technologies are both embedded in relational care arrangements as well as boundary-making practices, shaping both relationships between care givers and older adults in need of care; and the unequal access to information, data and decision-making practices.