Digital self-help: App offers support for caring relatives

Caring for relatives at home is often an enormous challenge and associated with great isolation. The app in.kontakt sees itself as a “gateway to the world”: it connects those affected with an online self-help community and helps to network with other caring relatives and exchange valuable knowledge. The application is completely free, can be used anonymously, and is compliant with data protection regulations.

The in.kontakt app and digital self-help was created as part of the three-year model project OSHI-PA (Online Self-Help Initiatives for Caring Relatives) between 2018 and 2020, funded by the Federal Ministry of Health and Techniker Krankenkasse. Since the end of 2020, the project has been receiving funding for self-help development.

heise online spoke with Nicola Gansert from the federal association “wir pflegen” about in.kontakt and the motivation behind the app.

What was your motivation to get involved in this topic and develop the app?

We are the advocacy and self-help organization for caring relatives. 86 percent of those in need of care are looked after at home – often without professional help. The main burden falls on the caring relatives and parents. We want to give them a voice in society and politics, but also promote exchange and networking among themselves. In addition to our local self-help groups, the desire arose to be able to network from home at any time of day or night. This is how in.kontakt emerged as a digital self-help platform. It offers chat channels and a knowledge section, for example, with guides on diaper care.

Caring relatives have a much higher risk of developing depression or becoming overwhelmed. Self-help services have a preventive character and strengthen resilience. This is a super low-threshold offer. Unfortunately, caring relatives are often not considered at all in new developments. We try to develop needs from the bottom up – from the chats, we see exactly what is currently on people's minds.

For the app, we work with vmapit because the developers offer support, especially for non-profit associations. The whole thing was created in cooperation with a university. The data is stored on vmapit's own servers, and there is no data transfer.

Is the platform also available as a classic website? Older people in particular often have older smartphones on which current apps no longer run.

There used to be a web version, but the implementation was not yet optimal, as you had to log in again each time. Therefore, we are currently focusing on the app. With the app, you can give yourself a nickname. Unlike WhatsApp, you don't see the mobile number or the real name. This allows you to talk freely about challenges without data being traceable to your person.

Who moderates these chat rooms?

So far, it has only happened once that someone did not adhere to the chat etiquette. We in the main office screen the channels regularly. In addition, users report misconduct very reliably. We are currently also in talks with the development team about whether artificial intelligence can help to delete inappropriate content directly in the future. We cannot see private one-to-one chats, of course, but users can set whether they want to be contacted privately at all.

How many users do you currently have?

The app has been very well received. The app now has 5,720 downloads and 1,306 created profiles. Only with a profile can you be active in the chat channels. As with many social networks, only a small percentage is really active. We try to set impulses from time to time, but leave the community its space. For example, there are local channels for specific federal states or, very recently, a group specifically for caring partners. It's great to see how experience is shared there and peer-to-peer support develops.

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How is the project financed?

We are funded as a project by the umbrella organization of statutory health insurance funds. This is where self-help funding at the federal level runs, with which the development team is also paid. It is very important to us that these services remain completely free of charge and advertising for caring relatives. Care already involves enough effort and financial burdens.

(mack)