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Differing perspectives on telecare: An attitudinal survey of older people, professional care workers and informal carers

This paper reports findings from a recent attitudinal survey into the implementation of telecare. Providing older people with increased independence to better meet their needs forms a key part of the care policy agenda in the UK. In this respect, telecare is perceived to be an important new weapon in the armoury of support services, which should result in fewer older people requiring institutional care and more remaining independent in their own homes for longer than would otherwise be the case. This paper evaluates such objectives by reporting on attitudes towards telecare among the contributors to 22 focus groups, comprising 92 older people, 55 professional stakeholders and 39 carers, that were convened in three different regions of the country as a precursor to telecare service development. The results suggest that the respondents’ attitudes and views were shaped by prior knowledge of conventional service delivery in their local area, and that future expectations and requirements in respect of telecare will be informed by wider perceptions about the extent to which community care should operate as a preventative strategy or as a mechanism for crisis management.

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Additional Titles
Designing Accessible Technology

Key Information

Type of Reference
Conf
Resource Database
Scopus scopus - exported 1/8/16
Publication Year
2006
Start Page
215-225