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Background: Due to the increasing ageing population worldwide, humanity is facing global demographic challenges. For many people, their later years are often lived with changed functioning and the need for support in daily living activities. Assistive technology and welfare technology (AT/WT) constitute a partial solution to the demographic challenges. Objectives: The purpose of this literature review is to identify the policy features, such as decision models and guidance for the provision of AT/WT as reported in the current scientific literature. Methods: A literature review with a deductive approach using the structure of the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) model was conducted. The data were searched from the databases: PubMed, Cinahl Plus, and the Web of Science, resulting in nine included articles. Results: The findings are presented according to the structure of the eight domains from the GATE model— policy, assessment, procurement, technology, environment, usability, sustainability and rights— which are further grouped into categories exploring the variations in every domain. Conclusion: The review reveals a nascent and growing interest in the area; however, evidence-based decision models and other guidance on AT/WT are lacking. Recent scholarships and policy reforms can form the basis of stronger guidance to organise complex AT/WT systems, but further and future research is needed.

The aim of the pilot study was to explore the re­actions of individuals with dementia to an interactive robotic cat and their relatives’ and professional caregivers’ experiences regarding its usability, function, and effects. Method The pilot study had an inter­vention, mixed-methods design¹ and was conduct­ed in two stages. A quantitative single-case study² including individuals with demen­tia, and a qualitative interview study³, including rela­tives and professional caregivers, were conducted. JustoCat® is an inter­active robotic pet developed using reminiscence therapy as a frame­work⁴. The development of JustoCat is based on promising work with the robotic seal, PARO^5,6. However, the inventors of JustoCat assumed that a seal would not appeal in reminiscence therapy, a robotic cat was supposed appeal to individuals’ memories of cats. There was also the idea of downscaled, advanced tech­nology based on the hypothesis of a robotic cat’s functional reliability and lower cost. The construction of JustoCat (e.g., easy-to-change fur facilitating personalized use, wash­able fur) was developed following Swedish hygiene routines required in nursing homes and hospital set­tings. Results & Discussion In the Western world, the majority of individuals with dementia spend the last part of their lives in nursing homes or dementia care homes. Some individuals with dementia could increase their well-being with different thera­pies, for example massage, singing, music or by the company of pets. The current pilot study of four individuals with dementia and their relatives and professional caregivers showed interesting results. First, living with severe dementia is a situa­tion with ups and downs concerning quality of life and agitated behavior, as presented in the single-case study design. Second, the analysis of the interviews shows the positive effects of the robotic cat providing stimu­lation, comfort, and peace to indi­viduals living with dementia. Third, professional caregivers and relatives found the robotic cat to be a useful, reliable, and multifunctional tool in their relationships with the partici­pants⁶.

The purpose of this study was to develop an interview guide for use by primaryhealthcare professionals to support them in identifying the rehabilitation needs of forcedresettled women from the Middle East living with chronic pain. Previous findings togetherwith the existing literature were used as the basis for developing the interview guide in threesteps: item generation, cognitive interviews, and a pilot study. The study resulted in a16-item interview guide focusing on patients’ concerns and expectations, with considerationof pre-migration, migration, and post-migration factors that might affect their health. Withthe help of the guide, patients were also invited to identify difficulties in their daily activitiesand to take part in setting goals and planning their rehabilitation. The current interview guideprovides professional guidance to caretakers, taking a person-centered participative point ofdeparture when meeting and planning care, for and together, with representatives from dispersed ethnic populations in Sweden. It can be used together with the patient by all staffmembers working in primary healthcare, with the aim of contributing to continuity of careand multi-professional collaboration.

Occupational therapy interventions should always be preceded by a needs assessment on which a basis for an intervention and a follow-up evaluation can be formed. The assessment should also be performed systematically using instruments designed for the specific purpose. In occupational therapy, all assessments shall aim for occupation and occupational performance.

Meeting patients from other countries constitutes a challenge for health care. The purpose of this study was to increase knowledge about tacit understandings of treatment in practice by determining the perceptions of chronic pain and rehabilitation directed to resettled women from the Middle East, from a variety of health care professionals within primary care. Based on the results, we find a need to support and increase knowledge among health care professionals to involve the patient and consider her beliefs, expectations, background, current life situation, and spirituality, and to involve family in rehabilitation.

The current study aimed to explore (a) reactions of individuals with dementia to an interactive robotic cat and their relatives’ and professional caregivers’ experiences, and (b) to measure usability in developing the care/treatment of individuals with dementia using interactive robotic pets. An intervention design in a pilot study using mixed methods was conducted in two stages: a quantitative single-case study (n = 4) and a qualitative interview study (n = 14). Results indicated less agitated behavior and better quality of life for individuals with dementia. Interviews showed positive effects by providing increased interaction, communication, stimulation, relaxation, peace, and comfort to individuals with dementia. The tested interactive robotic cat was also considered easy to use. There is an increased need for alternative/complementary forms of care to meet an increasing number of individuals with dementia. For some individuals with dementia, an interactive robot, such as a robotic cat, can increase well-being and quality of life.

This study evaluates a multifactorial school-based intervention with the aim of decreasing cardiometabolic risk factors by means of a healthy lifestyle, primarily with daily physical activity and healthy food during school hours, at an upper secondary school for students with intellectual disabilities. The outcome is measured in terms of cardiometabolic risk factors and cardiovascular fitness, both known to increase the risk of future cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Two years of intervention resulted in a positive trend in several measured cardiometabolic risk factors, with no increase in fat mass. Cardiovascular fitness levels were unchanged. We conclude that a healthy school environment can contribute to a deceleration of both fat mass gain and loss of cardiovascular fitness.

Adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) have an increased prevalence of being overweight and having cardiometabolic diseases as adults, in part due to poor eating habits with an inadequate intake of vegetables. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a multifactorial school intervention using the "Plate Model" results in improved healthy food choices with recommended ≥37.5% of vegetables. Participants with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities from an intervention school (n=27) were compared with controls (n=62) from two other upper secondary schools for students with ID. All were offered a test buffet lunch with meatballs, potatoes, sauce, and eight different vegetables presented in identical bowls. Their servings and food intake were evaluated from digital images and video films. The majority (88%) of the total group filled their plate with ≥37.5% of vegetables. The mean energy intake did not differ between the groups (576kcal (min 196-max 1444)). The intervention participants had a lower intake of fat (21% (SD 6) vs. 24% (SD 7), p=031), a higher intake of carbohydrates (57% (SD 7) vs. 53% (SD 8), p=035), less plate waste (5 (SD 10) grams vs. 25 (SD 43) grams, p=021), and more participants took only one portion (56% vs. 32%, p=039) compared with the control group. The participants from the intervention school made healthier food choices. In this setting, most adolescents with ID ate a sufficient amount of vegetables.