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Telecare - What is it? Telecare offers choice and flexibility of service provision, from familiar community alarm services that provide an emergency response and sensors that monitor and support daily living, through to more sophisticated solutions capable of monitoring vital signs and enabling individuals with long-term health conditions to remain at home. “Building Telecare in England” Dept of Health 2005 Or to put it simply: Gadgets that keep you safe in your home, and Gadgets that keep you independent!
Three Generations of Telecare • First generation Telecare refers to equipment and devices found in most Community Alarm Schemes. It refers to user-activated – e.g. push button, pendant or pull cord – alarm calls to a Control centre where a call handler can organise a response of some kind - usually via a neighbour, relative or friend acting as a ’key holder’. • Second generation Telecare evolved from the introduction into basic Community Alarm services of sensors such as smoke alarms and flood detectors. Second generation Telecare includes sensors which can monitor the home environment, vital signs, physiological measures, and lifestyle. These sensors can collect and transmit information continuously about door opening, bathwater running, the use of electrical appliances, and movement both within and outwith the home. This provides a much more sophisticated and comprehensive support to managing risk and improved quality of life. • Third generation Telecare arose from improving and increasing availability of broadband, wireless and audio-visual technology. This offers potential for virtual or tele-consultations between the service user and doctor, nurse or support worker, thus reducing the need for home visits or hospital appointments. Furthermore, it leads to increasing opportunities for people - particularly those unable to leave their homes alone - to ‘visit’ libraries, shops and maintain contact
How does Telecare support re-ablement? Preventing/Delaying entry further into the care system Assisting with/Contributing to confidence building during reablement process Providing alternatives to care visits once reablement finished
Incorporating Telecare into Re-ablement – Issues to Address • Updating assessment process to reflect Telecare / assistive technologies • Ensuring those involved in assessment & delivery are suitably educated and trained and kept up to date with developments • Ensuring delivery/installation process effectively integrated into delivery process – no waiting/delays, reliability • Capturing and communicating lessons learned effectively - what does and doesn’t work well and why
Making a Success of Re-ablement & Telecare – Issues for Discussion There is a wealth of evidence – both quantified and anecdotal – that Telecare facilitates independence for service users, and saves money. Service users, their carers and their families really like Telecare. • So why is the adoption of Telecare, either as part of Re-ablement or a support package, so limited? • What is being done, in your Re-ablement service, to incorporate Telecare?
