DOI: 10.4018/IJISSC.2017010102 International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change Volume 8 • Issue 1 • January-March 2017 24 Digitalisation in Health Care and Elderly Care Services: From Potholes to Innovation Opportunities Satu Pekkarinen, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lahti, Finland Helinä Melkas, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lahti, Finland ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to investigate the innovation opportunities related to digitalisation in health care and elderly care services using a “pothole approach”. The study focuses on two innovative e-service concepts developed in Finland for enhancing the well-being of senior citizens: The hStick (health stick) and the mStick (memory and reminiscence stick). The data consist of 59 thematic interviews and focus group meetings, observation data and diaries collected in pilot cases. The innovation opportunities related to the novel e-service concepts are identified and explored using the pothole approach. The potholes in the stick system are first identified and then studied as sources and opportunities for potential future innovations. This study offers a novel perspective on research concerning technology and e-services and the various innovation opportunities made possible once technological and other shortcomings have been identified. KEywORDS Ageing, Care Services, Digitalisation, E-Services, Innovation, Technology INTRODUCTION New approaches and innovations in the field of elderly care are necessary to respond to the challenges of an ageing population. High hopes have been placed on digitalisation and gerontechnological innovations such as e-health, various types of monitoring, home automation, robotics, and simpler applications and gadgets. While these technologies aim to facilitate and replace human work, they may also replace human contacts (Sharkey and Sharkey, 2012). Technology in elderly care is often characterised by black and white thinking: an overly optimistic view of technology might prevail in which technology is believed to solve all kinds of problems, or alternatively, technology might be seen as causing additional problems. Therefore, we should contemplate whether it is possible to combine a critical approach with an opportunity approach to digitalisation. Currently, there is general agreement that technology has social aspects that must be considered, for instance, the usability and acceptability of the products. Gerontechnology refers to both the interdisciplinary study of technology and technological devices designed to address the needs of an ageing society (Harrington and Harrington, 2000), which means that gerontechnology is not purely technological but also social, and includes a service element. Gerontechnology has applied a systems