Scan Magazine | Business Profile | Attendo
The residents and the staff have great experiences together on their excursions in the local community.
Taking care of the elderly and their future Most people will reach a time in their life when they rely on help or need to move into a care home. It can be a difficult time for many, but Attendo helps to make the change easier. With their new concept of care homes and understanding of the importance of individuality and flexibility, they cooperate with the municipality and listen to what the elderly really need. By Nicolai Lisberg | Photos: Attendo
We live longer and demographics indicate that the amount of elderly will increase in the years to come. Resources are limited so new and innovative solutions have to be thought out, which is exactly what Attendo aims to do. Since 1996, the company has been a trusted partner for Danish municipalities when it comes to home and health care. “For many years, we have been building care homes the exact same way in Denmark, for practical reasons – but we 92 | Issue 97 | February 2017
have forgotten to ask the elderly what they actually want. That’s why, in all of our projects, we involve the elderly and other interested parties from an early stage, so they can weigh in with their opinion. A lot of people are scared of moving to a care home, because the image they have of such places is not up to date. We have to challenge that image,” says Dorte Dahl, regional manager at Attendo. Nowadays, three out of ten elderly people choose a private supplier when it comes
to help in their homes – a number that is likely to increase because of the new generation of elderly. “A lot of the people aged 50 and over are more settled in their minds about how they want to live when they get older. Many of them have saved up and are willing to pay extra for some individual benefits,” says Dahl. “It’s important that no matter how you have lived your life up until now, you can continue to live this way when you move to a care home. We have to give space for that individuality.”
New concepts of care homes One way in which Attendo tries to embrace the individuality is with their new concept of care homes, where they build them based on innovation and flexibility. “One of the advantages of choosing us is that the elderly have the chance to