Telecare Use
Examples
Along with many other things, the use of technology can support people with dementia, people at risk of falling or at risk of violence and thereby prevent some hospital admissions. It can be used as part of the health and social care system to look after people in the community.
Below are examples of some scenarios of telecare technologies being used to support people:
Dementia
Scenario
Doris, who is aged 74 years, lives alone in a small flat on the third floor of a large Victorian house.
She is becoming forgetful and has twice left the bath taps running until the bath overflows. The landlord is unhappy and the neighbours have little sympathy. There is a further problem, in that Doris sometimes wakes in the early hours and tries to leave her flat, thinking it is time to go for a walk or visit friends.
Doris is generally physically healthy and has lived in the same house for 40 years. She wants to stay living at home but she is worried that she might have to move into sheltered accommodation.
Possible Solution
Doris may be provided with a flood detector for her bathroom, which will generate an alert if the bath starts to overflow or turn the tap off ! In addition, a system using sensors located around Doris's front door may be used to detect if she leaves her home at an inappropriate time. An alert can be automatically sent to a monitoring centre for someone to provide assistance.
Falls
Scenario
Andrew is 86-years-old and lives alone in a first-floor flat, which he rarely leaves. He lost the sight of one eye, and has difficulty moving around in the flat because of problems with his spine.
He sometimes finds it difficult to keep his balance, despite his trusty trolley, and has fallen over once in the past eighteen months when it took some hours before someone found him. The injuries sustained were serious enough for Andrew to be admitted into hospital. Andrew is now very fearful of falling.
Possible Solution
Andrew could be provided with a fall detector, to wear on his person during the day. If he fell again, an alert would automatically be sent to a monitoring centre. Also, a bed sensor may automatically turn on the bedroom light if he gets up in the middle of the night. The bed sensor can also send an alert if Andrew does not return to his bed after a set period of time (in case of a fall, for example).
Scenario
Pat is aged 69 years, has never married and has no family contacts. She is very independently minded and prides herself on keeping going, despite various health problems. For 6 years Pat has suffered from congestive heart failure, which is steadily getting worse.
Pat is often short of breath and has bouts of minor chest pains. Sometimes, Pat neglects to eat or drink as regularly as she should. She knows there are risks involved with her disrupted routines but does not want to have other people cooking for her.
Possible Solution
In the near future, Pat may be provided with a home health monitoring device, which is used to keep a daily check on her condition. The device asks questions about her health and daily habits. Health information, reminders and advice can also be provided by the device. Some products take measurements (like blood pressure) that are automatically sent to a monitoring system, where it is reviewed by health professionals who can contact Pat if further attention is needed.
(Please note: these types of health monitoring systems are quite new to the UK and are undergoing trials. They are only available in some areas.)
If you have a health problem you should contact your GP or health professional