Self-care, plesio-care, telecare and m-care: A new assisted living model

Purpose – This paper critically reviews the motivations for introducing different connected healthcare to support Assisted Living in older and other vulnerable groups. The aim is to develop a new approach that will be sustainable in the future.

Design/methodology/approach – The methodology involves a consideration of assessment criteria currently being employed and the resulting costs and limitations in providing a person centred approach. The implications of introducing new technologies such as plesiocare and mCare are then considered.

Findings – It was found that one of the most cost‐effective applications of technology is in the support of informal carers but the telecare equipment that they are offered may not be the most appropriate.

Research limitations/implications – The findings are limited by a lack of formal risk assessments that are person centred. The implications include the need for improved training in assessment processes and access to a wider inventory of technologies.

Practical implications – Existing telecare services will need to change in order to adopt more plesiocare and self‐care approaches and to engage more actively in the development of models based on mcare. Social implications – Governments and health ministries may achieve better and lower cost support for their ageing population by adopting a model that includes multiple layers of technology, including easier access to self‐care and mCare technologies.

Originality/value – This paper includes the first discussion on plesiocare and its relative advantages over telecare in supporting informal carers.

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