05/11/2015
Support for the elderly in Dorset will go hi-tech this summer.
Dorset County Council revealed that an app-based technology designed to help in the care of elderly people will be set for trial in Dorset this summer.
The hi-tech support system will be launched with the collaboration of Nourish Careand funding support from Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL JP). Results will be made available at the start of 2016.
Nourish Care is a provider based in Dorset, a county home to one of the biggest numbers of dementia sufferers in the UK.
Receiving financial aid from the European Commission, AAL JP is a funding activity aiming to enhance the quality of life for the elderly.
The goal of the trial is to observe and check for ways that take advantage of technology so that care and support to the elderly can be improved in such a level that would allow them to live an independent life. The program also seeks to minimise incidence of hospital readmission.
Among the care aspects that the app-based system will target are improved information-sharing between family members or friends, carers, as well as care professionals to enable them to access a care calendar, task and well-being checks. The system will primarily use mobile applications, hand-held devices, and wearable like smart watches. Information shall be accessible online by authorised users who can see care details of the elderly patient, including care that he/she is currently receiving plus up to date details of their well-being.
The trial shall include elderly suffering from dementia and those who have returned home following hospital admission.
Nourish Care CEO and founder Nuno Almeida said:
“We have so much new technology available, and we want to look at how we can use it in a way that makes sense. Our focus is on trying to ensure people have the best possible quality of life, which is an enormous challenge when people have complex health and social needs.”
