Redesigning the ”Help at home” Municipal program together with London School of Economics
A 3-year-long research on the public program “Help at Home” that operates in 300+ Municipalities in Greece.
The research was initiated in 2021 in the Municipality of Thessaloniki and continued in 2022/2023 in the Municipalities of Pogoni (Ioannina), Prosotsani (Drama), and Limni Plastira (Karditsa).
In collaboration with the London School of Economics and with the support of the TIMA Charitable Foundation, we implemented participatory and human-centered methodologies to redesign the “Help at Home” program for the providers (municipal employees) and the beneficiaries (citizens).
For the past 24 years, the “Help at Home” program has supported elderly people who are not fully self-sufficient and people with mobility challenges. The program provides social care, professional support, doctors support and more.
The program services include:
✔ Psychological support
✔ Assistance for the use of public services
✔ Nursing care
✔ Appointment scheduling and transportation to hospitals and medical centers
✔ Home cleaning services
Our research objectives were to:
📌 Document the operational procedures of the program in municipalities across the country.
📌 Investigate the needs of the beneficiaries.
📌 Identify the needs of the 3,000 employees of the program.
📌 Propose a functional policy design framework for improvements.
Some of the research steps were:
National research (institutional framework, studies, protocols, etc.)
Municipal research in specific eras
Literature review
Mapping of stakeholders involved in the program and conducting interviews
Interviews with program providers and operational managers
Interviews with beneficiaries
A survey conducted in 44 Municipalities
Documentation of the program’s operational process
Fieldwork and visits in four municipalities
Autoethnography and observation
Designing Research Tools:
✔ Persona Mapping Tool. Capturing the user profile of the service
✔ Journey Map Tool. Mapping the steps of the service experience
✔ Service Blueprint Tool. Mapping the steps from the provider’s perspective
10.000+ indirect beneficiaries of the research
Field work in 4 Municipalities
3 years of research
Click on the 3 images to see in Greek the results of the the miro mapping (1), the research (2) and the policy proposals (3)
