Kate Hamblin has discussed early findings of her research project on telecare and independent ageing in the article 'Getting AKTIVE' on 'Telehealthcare Times' [pp 28-29].
> Download Telehealthcare Times (Issue 41, 2013)
“IT IS ARGUED TELECARE CAN HELP TO REDUCE HOSPITAL AND RESIDENTIAL CARE ADMISSIONS, AND ENABLE INDIVIDUALS TO REMAIN IN THEIR OWN HOMES FOR LONGER, WHICH IS OFTEN CITED AS AN AIM AS WE AGE.”
“MANY USERS REFUSE OR FORGET TO WEAR PENDANT OR BRACELET ALARMS UNTIL AFTER A BAD EXPERIENCE,”
SAID HAMBLIN. BUT BY WORKING WITH DESIGNERS WHO CAN MAKE THE DEVICES ATTRACTIVE AS WELL AS FUNCTIONAL SHE HOPES THAT PERCEPTIONS OF TELECARE COULD BE IMPROVED.
The AKTIVE (Advancing Knowledge of Telecare for Independence and Vitality in later life) project has revealed its early
findings, which show how telecare could provide even greater support to older people, helping them to remain at home for as long as possible.
The project is funded from June 2011 - May 2014 by the Technology Strategy Board and the ESRC, directed by Professor Sue Yeandle and is being developed and delivered by four partners: CIRCLE, University of Leeds; the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing (University of Oxford); Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd; and Inventya Solutions Ltd. These partners are working with the support of a wider AKTIVE consortium, comprising medical experts; experts in design, risk, disability and ergonomics; telecare
commissioners in two local authorities; and a range of agencies representing and supporting older people, carers and care
workers.
The UK population is ageing, and as a result so too will the prevalence of age related conditions such as dementia and
falls. These two conditions are costly both emotionally and socially for the person concerned and their families, and
also in terms of health and social care. Dementia is currently estimated to cost around £10.2 billion (with £9 billion spent on social care, £1.2 billion on health care) and is projected to rise to £16.7 billion by 2031. The health and social care costs of falls are currently around £1 billion per year and predicted to rise to £2.2 billion by 2050. The number of residential care places and home care hours would need to expand by around 115% and 103% respectively to keep up, increasing longterm care expenditure by 325% in real terms from 2002-2041.
Coupled with the concerns of many older people about the loss of their independence and their reluctance to move into residential care, economical solutions which can enable them to remain in their own homes for as long as they wish will form a vital part of the
way we deliver care and support in the future. With an average telecare system costing £450, equivalent to just a week in residential care, telecare with support becomes a desirable solution for older people, their families and the health and
social care system alike.
But, says Kate Hamblin PhD from the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, although the system offers many advantages, early findings from the study show that a greater understanding of how users interact with telecare, combined with the latest technological advances, could improve the system considerably. Hamblin has seen firsthand how users receiving telecare at a point of crisis such as a fall can treat it with suspicion and dislike, seeing it as a first step towards loss of independence, despite the fact that the system brings peace of mind to family members and carers.
At the core of the project is the ‘Everyday Life Analysis’ of telecare use by older people and their carers. The research team will visit these households several times over the course of a year to gain a deep understanding of not only the issues around telecare use, but also ageing and caring for someone more generally. Insight into the everyday lives of older people and their unpaid and
paid carers will not only be invaluable in terms of evaluating the benefits and limitations of telecare, it will also enable
the project team to explore issues around independence and autonomy versus surveillance and isolation.
With a greater knowledge of how older people and their carers interact with telecare in their daily lives, the aim is to cut out avoidable costs and to dramatically reduce the incidence of common hazards which threaten wellbeing, such as falls, accidents and inadequate management of conditions like dementia. The evidence produced will help to will inform the strategies needed
to keep older people safe, independent and in control at home. This knowledge will also contribute to improving the way
telecare is commissioned, marketed, implemented and adapted to users’ changing needs to improve their quality
of life at home.
The study also hopes to give insights into the most effective ways of funding the system. “It is difficult to prove the cost savings associated with telecare as it is impossible to estimate what might have happened if someone had not had the system,” said Hamblin.
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AKTIVE Questions
Results from the study are to be published in 2014, and more information can be found at www.aktive.org.uk |
