How Telecare is transforming Social Care

Interesting articles from the Guardian Social Care forum

How telecare is transforming social care

Welcome to the weekly round-up of features and debate from the Guardian's network for social care professionals.

Our key talking point today is telecare. Jessica Fuhl reports from a telecare response centre and asks what service benefits, practical support and reassurance it offers users and their families, while Linda Sanders, corporate director for social care, health and housing at Hillingdon council, shares her authority's experiences.

Clare Horton,

Contributing editor, Guardian social care network

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Permalink Reply by Cathy Stephenson on November 29, 2012 at 22:20

In my experience The Guardian does offer some of the better articles about Telecare but I would encourage people to look beyond the popular press for better informed items.

Both of these do focus on the Button and box style personal alarm (although Hillingdon does make it clear they have added additional 'passive' sensors that will pick up alerts without the person pressing their button). Thank you Clare it is very encouraging to see that extension in the article.

This is important because families may be lulled into a false sense of security just because a personal alarm has been installed; yet without passive sensors it is wholly reliant on the 'active' alarm of the individual pressing the button or the pendant. If they are unable to do so the alarm will not keep them safe and there are many reasons why the button is not pressed, not least of which because the person does not wish to be a nuisance or in the case of dementia it is common to realise the person does not remember or understand what the pendant is for.

Telecare is much wider reaching than these alarm systems, including providing a local alarm to a resident carer or nearby family member or often a prompt (reminder) directly to the person themself. Like anything else, done well it can be a very positive support for many people; done badly and without care it is at best likely to sit unused in the cupboard and at worst could increase risk.