Smart support at home: the integration of telecare technology with
primary and community care systems
Results from a pathfinding project in West Lothian, now in its sixth
year, recommend that a reappraisal of the whole care system needs to be
undertaken in order to realise maximum benefits from home-monitoring
devices. David Kelly reflects on the achievements of the trial to
date.
ABSTRACT
Caring for an increasingly frail elderly population is one of the biggest
challenges facing local government and healthcare services over the next 10
years. West Lothian Council and its local NHS Health Division are pioneering
a mainstream approach of partnering telecare with other support mechanisms,
as a creative way to help people stay at home within a risk-managed
environment. The outcomes to date have resulted in a reduction in hospital
delayed discharges, and improved quality of life for service users.
Approximately 1,700 older and vulnerable people are now supported in
their own homes with a package of telecare technology. Approximately 10% of
these people have high levels of support/care and would have been considered
for a move to institutional care in the absence of a cost-effective
alternative.
Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2005; 22(3): 19–21. |
