We help with many aspects of daily living through carefully selected technology
Find out if care technology can help you
Call Dylan on 0772-0772-522
Isolation and communication
We can make it easier to get in touch, check things are ok and keep up with friends and family.
Many people become isolated, especially when they struggle with mobility, eyesight or memory, or worry about the cost of making calls. It can also be difficult to make contact with people when they can’t hear the phone ring or choose not to answer. It can be worrying when you know someone is at risk or vulnerable and you can’t make contact.
There are some telephone based services which will call to check someone is OK, and a small number which offer a chat service.
We’ve been trialling Amazon’s Echo Show with Alexa voice control and found it really helpful in some situations. Voice control makes it easy to use, the video capability really helps you see how someone is. It can help somene whois otherwise isolated be part of family life from a distance.
The Drop-in feature, if enabled, means you can connect even if they are not able answer.
As a smartphone user you can call the Echo devices from anywhere you have an Internet connection which can be really useful when out and about, working or travelling.
I can advise on a range of solutions. I don’t sell equipment directly but I can suggest what might work and where you can get it, or I can order it for you.
A telephone consultation will get you heading in the right direction.
Falls
Falls
We cannot prevent falls but there are ways to detect them and call for help when they happen. It may also be possible to reduce the number of falls by understanding why they are happening.
We can detect falls in several ways: using wearable fall detectors; measuring how long people are out of bed at night or out of their chair in the day; and by measuring lack of movement when we’d normally expect activity. Modern digital technologies can be more sophisticated using behavioural patterns and more complex logic to analyse if something unusual is happening. We can also provide alarm buttons both wearable and mounted where falls occur, which the faller can press if they are conscious, compos mentis and willing.
None of these solutions are 100% reliable. Both false alarms and undetected falls occur and for a variety of reasons people don’t always call for help when they need it. Each case is different and art is in finding the best solution for the individual.
Once a fall has been detected we need to get help. This can be by alerting a family member or a friend, or by using a specialist service with 24 hour monitoring.
Falls happen for many reasons, for example poor eyesight, trip hazards in the home or not taking medication. There may be simple changes we can make like moving rugs or furniture. Home adaptations such as handrails and brighter lighting could help and care technology can help with medication and other issues.
There are many factors to consider when looking at falls and fall detection. We’d recommend looking at an individual’s whole situation and finding solutions which are expandable and compatible, rather than just looking at falls in isolation. There are many different solutions on the market and care needs to be taken to choose ones which will meet your needs.
A home assessment is usually best but you could start with a telephone consultation to find out more and explore potential solutions.
Daily living
Daily living
The tasks of daily living can be challenging so we look for ways to make them easier. For example as mobility declines shopping can become really difficult, so we might introduce a way to shop online to suit the individual. Where memory is an issue we can introduce prompts and reminders to help with simpler tasks such as taking medicine, locking up at night and remembering family birthdays. We can also help with more complex tasks, for example leading someone through getting ready to go out for a regular event like visiting a day centre or doing the washing.
There are many different solutions on the market and care needs to be taken to choose something which will work. It is important to recognise that getting prompts and reminders to work sometimes needs a little bit of time and effort to get right. Once up and running some maintenance is usually necessary, even if it is just changing batteries on a regular basis. That said, the results can be really rewarding.
We’d suggest a telephone consultation to look at the situation and explore whether there are practical solutions to suit.
Kitchen safety
Kitchen safety
Memory and mobility issues can increase the risks of fire in the kitchen. Smoke and heat detectors, possibly linked to community alarm service may be worthwhile in some cases. Prompts and reminders can help people to remember to switch off the cooker when they leave the kitchen.
Where carers prepare food and it would be too dangerous for someone to cook for themselves, extra controls can be added to temporarily disable a cooker. If someone is at risk of falling alarm buttons can be fitted around the room at low level so they can call for help.
There are also ways to help people to prepare their own food, for example by having simple recipes readily available and leading them gently through the steps to complete the meal. A similar technique can help lead people through tasks of daily living like doing the washing.
An initial telephone consultation will help with understanding what is possible and potential solutions.
Memory
Memory
Memory impairment creates a wide range of issues and often needs a degree of sensitivity to address. There are a wide range of devices and services available and it is important to find solutions that suit the person so they get used.
We can help in a variety of ways including prompts and reminders, and we cover some aspects like medication and tasks of daily living in other articles. We’d suggest a telephone consultation as the first step, when we’ll be able to discuss the situation and consider potential solutions.
As memory becomes an issue learning becomes more difficult, so as a general rule the sooner solutions are introduced the easier it is to build familiarity and make them a normal part of life.
Medication
Medication
Taking the right medication at the right time can be challenging. Especially when you have to deal with several different tablets, each with their own constraints, to be taken at different times throughout the day. Memory and mental capacity issues can make things even more difficult.
There are several ways care technologies can help including medication dispensers, prompts and reminders. None of these ensure that the medication has actually been taken and in these cases a visit or video call may be the only way. Where care technologies can be used they offer a much cheaper solution when compared to home visits.
A telephone consultation will help understand the situation and identify potential solutions.
Home control
Home control
Amazon’s Echo devices with Alexa voice control are designed to be linked to online services and other devices, enabling home automation. Voice control of devices can help to make them accessible to people with memory, dexterity or mobility issues. Voice control can be helpful where new devices are so unfamiliar to someone that they are too difficult to operate. For example it may be easier for someone to say “Alexa, play Radio 4” than to operate a modern DAB radio.
The Echo devices use “Skills” which, like smartphone Apps, add particular functionality. These skills can be bought and installed to give access to online services like audiobooks, music and shopping. Others provide games, entertainment and much more. New skills are being developed all the time. Care needs to be taken when selecting Skills and users may need help to get used to using them.
The number of ‘Alexa compatible’ devices is increasing, enabling more and more voice control of equipment and services. The world of home automation is complex with many competing systems, which may or may not be compatible, or suitable. It is worth putting some effort into research before committing too heavily! It is sometimes possible to add voice control to existing devices although this can be more expensive.
We recommend keeping things simple to start with and adding things slowly as confidence grows. If you’d like help with any aspect of home automation, with or without Alexa & Echo compatibility, do get in touch. (See footer below for contact options)
Saftey lighting
Safety lighting
Lighting can be really important. Lights which come on automatically when someone gets out of bed at night can help to avoid falls and reduce wandering.
Lights can help to guide someone with cognitive issues, for example a light in the bathroom will tend to encourage them to head for the bathroom.
There are a variety of lighting systems. It is important to choose the right solution and install it correctly so that it works for the person. Badly installed lighting can become annoying and have a detrimental effect.
Telephones
Telephones
We can help you find telephones that are easier to use and overcome issues like visual and hearing impairment.
Many people struggle with their telephones due to mobility, eyesight, hearing or memory. It can be worrying for family and friends when they can’t make contact.
There are a variety of telephone based solutions to help including loud rings and flashing alerts when a call comes in, extra large numbers for dialling and picture buttons to automatically dial the person whose picture they show.
We can advise on a range of solutions. We don’t sell equipment directly but we can suggest what might work and where you can get it, or we can order it for you.
Amazon’s Alexa devices use voice control which can be helpful. Once set up audio and video calls are free and the Drop-in feature means you can get through even if the person you’re calling cannot answer.
A telephone consultation will get you heading in the right direction.
We help with many aspects of daily living through carefully selected technology
Featured Service: Alexa
Alexa can help people to be more independent and makes it easier for family, friends and carers to keep in touch. Alexa is easy to use and can be linked to other services and devices to do so much more.