Assistive technology

Current government policy emphasises professional accountability, Best Value, evidence-based practice and outcomes for users and carers. In this context, being able to demonstrate the effectiveness of routine practice is increasingly important. This article considers the key issues in collecting information about the outcomes of equipment and adaptations. These include: the assessment of the full range of outcomes; the timing of data collection; the use of standardised and individualised measures; and linking outcomes to interventions.

Hull Churches Home from Hospital Service (HCHfH) has been at the forefront of bringing assistive technology into the homes of the elderly with chronic illness’ through Telehealth projects since 2008.

A study looking at telecare from a carers' viewpoint is briefly reviewed in this article. The study drew on the experiences of carers through interviews and focus groups. It identified that some stakeholders, notably healthcare professionals, lacked awareness of the value and availability of telecare and that this often resulted in limited referrals and a limited range of telecare equipment accessed by carers.

In the second of two articles, Barbara Pointon analyses the chaos of funding and benefits that rarely seem to help the people they are intended for, and asks again, ‘Whose service is it?’

Fall detectors are a form of remote monitoring assistive technology that have the potential to enhance the wellbeing of adults at risk from falling. In this paper, the ethical issues raised by the use of fall detectors are examined. The fall detection devices currently available are outlined, and a summary of how these devices require social-care services, or family carers, to respond in particular ways, is provided. The ethical issues associated with the use of fall detectors are classified under four headings: autonomy, privacy, benefit, and the use of resources.

Reports on the launch of ASTRID ( A Social and Technological Response to meeting the needs of Individuals with Dementia and their Carers) a European project funded under the Telematics Programme, involving the UK, Norway, Netherlands and Ireland. It aims to research and promote the use of assistive technology, a broad term which covers anything from simple devices for individuals to whole systems of adapting housing.

This article explores how personalised technology could have the potential to change the behaviour of people with learning disabilities, enabling them to take more control of their lives and increase their independence. Hft investigates unforeseen outcomes in its work with people with learning disabilities and personalised technology and asks whether personalised technology could be used as a training tool?

Research has demonstrated the benefits of telecare. It helps those with long-term needs live more independent lives, improves well-being, and enhances the quality of life. Yet little attention has been focused on the impact of telecare on unpaid carers who look after relatives with long-term care needs. This article examines the evidence from “A Weight Off My Mind: exploring the impact and potential benefits of telecare for unpaid carers”, and the ways in which telecare has impacted on carers, and how it has improved their quality of life.

This paper reports on a survey of carer satisfaction with telephone consultations with doctors in a community service for people with intellectual disability (also known as learning disability in the UK health services). A 10-item anonymized carer satisfaction questionnaire was sent out following telephone consultations over a 4 week period with questions about suitability, effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of telephone consultations. Out of 13 questionnaires sent, 11 were returned. There was a high level of satisfaction with accessibility, effectiveness and suitability.

The present paper provides an overview of the application of the key ethical issues which arose in an EU-funded research, technology and development project, Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older Persons' Needs (ACTION). The primary aim of the ACTION project was to support frail older people and their family carers in their own homes across England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Portugal via the use of user-friendly information and communication technology.