Telecare Project Update
SOCIAL WORK SERVICES > OLDER PEOPLE’S SERVICES > HOME CARE >
TELECARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
FEBRUARY 2009
Introduction
By John Honeyman, Training andMarketing Adviser
You may be reading this as a worker inHealth and Social Care, because youfulfil a vital role as a carer or simplybecause you do care. Whatever yourrole, please read on and I do hope youfind Telecare as exciting as we do.
Telecare in Fife
by Liz Mitchell, Fife TelecareDevelopment Project Manager
Fife’s Telecare Development Project(TDP) is now entering its second yearand a great deal of progress has beenachieved.
The aim of the TDP is to providesupport that helps people achieveindependence and remain in their ownhomes despite illness, disability orfrailty, safe in the knowledge that, if anincident occurs, help can be summonedquickly.
A Telecare heat detector willautomatically alert the CommunityAlarms Response Centre if a firebreaks out in someone’s home.
Equipment can be installed in the hometo detect problems, e.g. falls, fire, gasleaks, lack of movement, epilepticseizures, etc., which may indicate thatthe person is at risk. An incidenttriggers an alarm to the Council’sCommunity Alarm Service whose staffactivate an immediate responsewhether that is calling a relative, friendor neighbour to help or calling outMobile Emergency Carers or theemergency services.
Call-handlers are on duty 24 /7
There are currently nearly 200 peoplein Fife supported by telecare equipmentwith a further 130 – 150 due to receivea service before the end of 2008/9.The TDP has been able to build on theinfrastructure of the Community AlarmService (CAS) and this means thattelecare is being mainstreamed inservices available to older andvulnerable people living in their ownhomes Fife.
The TDP is a partnership between Fife’shealth and social work services,involving the Health & Social CarePartnership at the strategic level andhealth and social care workers at thefront-line – OTs, Social Workers, CPNs,doctors, Home Care staff, nurses, etc. are all involved in providing the Telecare service to vulnerable people in Fife.Telecare works towards thePartnership’s agreed aim to “shift thebalance of care” from acute hospitals tothe community. It is well known thatthe majority of people would prefer toremain in their own homes andcommunities. Telecare equipment andresponse services are provided toreduce the likelihood of an older orvulnerable person remaining in hospitalfor longer than necessary and tominimise risks so that hospital or carehome admissions can be avoided.During 2008/9 the ScottishGovernment provided the funding forTelecare equipment and the TDP staffand has set aside funds for 2009/10which will be available on a matchfunded basis. Fife TDP has just beenreviewed by the Scottish Government’sJoint Improvement Team and theirreport is recommending that the Fifepartnership is eligible to apply for thesefunds. This means that furtherprogress can be made developingTelecare in Fife, allowing time forinnovation and piloting new ways ofworking.
Training Workshops
by John Honeyman, Training andMarketing Adviser
The project has delivered Telecareawareness sessions to many teams,covering a range of disciplines, acrossthe Fife Health and Social CarePartnership over the past year. These free, one hour sessions are stillavailable for staff that missed themfirst time around or as part of theinduction of new staff.Now available are ½ day trainingworkshops to help participants developthe knowledge, skills and understanding required to integrateTelecare technology into care packagesto support vulnerable people liveindependent lives.
A bed exit monitor willautomatically raise an alert ifsomeone has got up in the nightand not returned. It could be thevital early indication that a fall hasoccurred.
The course starts by looking at therisks and concerns faced by vulnerablepeople living in the community. Itcontinues with:
Assistive Technology
What equipment is available
How it all works
Hands-on the equipment
Case Studies & Assessment
Group work to exploreindividual cases and providesolutions
The role of the CommunityAlarms Response Centre
Legal and Ethical Issues
Accessing the Service
Using the Single SharedAssessment (SSA)
Home Care Assessment
Feedback & review
Workshops are run for small groups of 6-12 people and we would especiallyencourage colleagues liaise and request a mutually convenient date and venue.
Older Persons Stakeholder Event
The theme in 2008 was Older Age,Young at Heart. The event showcasedservices and opportunities for olderpeople in Fife and attracted around 600visitors to the Rothes Halls inGlenrothes.
Telecare exhibition house
The Fife Telecare Project exhibited astage-set house to demonstrateTelecare technology to service usersand raise awareness of the help andsupport that Social Work’s Home CareService can provide.
New Technology
by John Honeyman, Training andMarketing Adviser
Aimed mainly at supporting peopleaffected by Dementia, we plan to pilottwo new technologies in 2009.1 Lifestyle Monitoring, despite theconnotation of “Big Brother”, is amethod of using movement sensors tobuild up a picture of a person’sactivities of daily life (ADLs). A lack ofactivity in a kitchen, for instance, couldindicate a possible risk of
malnourishment. Care professionals can use thisinformation as part of an assessmentto tailor a package of care or offersupportive intervention to a vulnerableperson.
2 Safer Walking technology can help aperson who has become lost,disorientated or has wandered becauseof the effects of dementia.
A dementia-sufferer may still enjoygoing for a walk but is anxious aboutlosing their way. Asking a stranger for help might be acutely embarrassing.But pressing the SOS button on thepersonal GPS (Geographical Positioningby Satellite) device will send a textalert to a carer or service professional. Logging on to a secure website willdisplay a map and the location of thedevice and appropriate action can betaken to help the user.
Even without the SOS button beingpressed, a concerned carer can quicklyaccess the website
Ethical Guidelines
By Roz Barclay, Co-ordinator, FifeHealth and Social Care Partnership
A document on ethical guidelines isnow available for download from FISH(the Council’s intranet) and from theNHS Fife intranet. Entitled “Principles and Good PracticeGuidance: Use of Telecare”, apublication search on either site of “useof telecare” will lead you to it.
The guide is essential reading for staffrequired to refer for appropriate,person-centred care packages thatinclude assistive technology.
The guide includes information on -
Practical & technical issuesaround assessment
Key Principles of how peoplewould like to receive Technology
Questions which assessors mustask before using Assisted Living Technology
Consent
Procedure for accessing AssistedLiving Technology
Assessing the reason for falls
LMU Assessor Training
By Ron McDowall, Glenrothes & NEFife LMU Co-ordinator
Glenrothes and North East Fife LocalManagement Unit members areworking together with the JointImprovement Team from the ScottishGovernment to develop integratedservices which maintain independence,reduce hospital admissions by early intervention, and support rehabilitationand early hospital discharge in the communities of Glenrothes, Cupar, StAndrews, Taybridge-head and allsurrounding areas.
At workshops on 7th October and 26thNovember, members of the multidisciplinecommunity health & social care teams who currently provide aservice to patients/clients within thisgeographical area, documentedexisting patient/client pathways anddeveloped ideas for serviceimprovements.
During the discussions at theseworkshops, one of the topics thatdelegates wanted to explore furtherwas the use of a telecare service tosupport patients/clients to liveindependently at home, particularly forthe period when they are rehabilitatingat home after a stay in hospital.
The Glenrothes and North East FifeLocal Management Unit is now workingwith the Fife Council Telecare Team todeliver a series of local Telecareworkshops in March which will givefrontline Health & Social Care staff anin-depth understanding of the benefitsof the service, how to assess client'sneeds, and how to access the service.
Pill Dispenser Study
By Dr Suzanne Brannan, ConsultantOphthalmologist and TelehealthClinical Lead in Fife
Telehealth inFife iscollaboratingwith ourcolleagues inthe Telecareproject on astudy ofmedication noncompliance. The study will centre on the use ofautomated pill dispensers (pictured)that remind patients when medicationis due or raise an alert with theappropriate health worker if medicationis not being taken. The effectivenessof these dispensers for people withmild to moderate dementia will becompared with traditional medicationdispensers.
Telecare Development Project
Fife Council Social Work Services
Room 6, Building Q10
Flemington Road
Glenrothes
T: 01592 583684
E:
W:
I: search for “Telecare” on Intranet