Promoting Assistive Technology Competence among Care Staff in Europe

摘要

Care workers have the potential to play a fundamental role in advancing Assistive Technology (AT) in Europe. The use (or non-use) of personal enabling technology heavily depends on the awareness of the care workers and on their professional preparation. Whilst this is especially the case in care homes, nursing homes and other larger institutions, it is equally applicable to the (much larger) group of people with disabilities who are cared for in their own homes. Nevertheless many professional standards in the care sector, and the training leading to them, lack any specific reference to the importance of AT for the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities and elderly, and how this is related to the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In this paper we will report on how the European Care Certificate (ECC) has recently updated its standard and adopted articles on enabling equipment, thus paving the way for a better preparation of the workforce with benefits for the entire social care environment.