The project addresses the need for innovative thinking and solutions that bridge user, healthcare, and community perspectives.
Researchers will work closely with Horten municipality and district Alna/Oslo municipality to conduct a social innovation process. In this way, the social innovations will help relieve the healthcare and care services, strengthen volunteerism, and create good inclusive meeting places.
As an integral part of the innovation process, researchers will examine various aspects of how single cancer patients can receive better social support in Norwegian municipalities, including qualitative assessments of their needs and cross-sectoral collaboration within the municipality.
Targeted dissemination of the innovation process and the communication of results will also be emphasized, as it is crucial for the innovations to be utilized by other municipalities.
Objectives
The aim is to develop and test initiatives, collaborative forms, and working methods that will:
1) Provide closer follow-up care for single cancer patients through strengthened cooperation between public health and care services and voluntary organizations.
2) Develop municipal, cross-sectoral, inclusive, and vibrant meeting places where cancer patients can meet and form social communities.
Background
Many individuals diagnosed with cancer have few or no close relatives and often have limited access to social support during challenging phases of their illness. It is therefore important to develop solutions within municipalities to meet the social support needs of single cancer patients.
