Council welcomes telecare boost for elderly
Thursday, August 24 2006
Scottish Borders Council has welcomed the Scottish Executive’s recent decision to invest £8 million over the next two years in ‘telecare’ devices to help older and vulnerable people retain their independence at home.
Telecare is already well established in the Borders. For the past four years, SBC’s Social Work Department and NHS Borders have been providing telecare home monitors and warning devices to a wide range of client groups, including children and families, people with dementia, adults with learning disabilities, adults with physical disabilities and the elderly.
The equipment ranges from smoke detectors and flooding detectors to more complex devices such as movement detectors, gas shut-down systems, satellite tracking devices and bogus caller panic buttons. Many can be connected to a round-the-clock emergency call and response service.
Announcing the funding last week, Communities Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, said, “Telecare is an excellent example of how services can be redesigned in more integrated and imaginative ways, by using the latest technology to complement traditional, one-to-one support from trained, professional staff.
“Older people who may otherwise have gone into full-time residential care can feel more secure at home, giving them the confidence and reassurance that help is at hand if they need it. It also provides peace of mind to their families and support for their carers.
“Use of telecare allows, for example, non-intrusive monitoring of whether an individual has got up in the morning, or has fallen, or has had a flood in the kitchen or bathroom. It can also be used to remind people to take medicine.”
In the Scottish Borders, telecare is used to complement traditional care and support networks. It operates in conjunction with Care at Home, NHS community services and family carers. In a rural area like the Borders, telecare can be the solution to how people remain in their own homes safely for as long as possible.
Speaking of the newly announced funding for telecare, SBC Director of Social Work, Andrew Lowe, said “Health, Social Care and Housing staff involved in providing the current range of Telecare solutions will have to focus on submitting a partnership bid to ensure that the Scottish Borders receives its full allocation of the resources available.”
SBC Councillor Carolyn Riddell-Carre, Executive Spokesperson for Social Work, added, “Telecare can help the Scottish Border’s increasing number of elderly and vulnerable people to lead fuller and more independent lives for longer in their own homes, whilst providing reassurance for their families and support for their carers.”
For more information, please contact Gregor Gowans, Bordercare Manager, on 01896 758717 Ext: 2647, or Jill Forsyth at SBC’s Social Work department on 01835 825080 Ext: 5491.
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