Telecare- new service

What is telecare?
Telecare, or assistive technology as it is sometimes called, is a new social care service that we are trialling with a small number of older people, from 3 January 2006. We are piloting the service first, to see how well it works and to find out how much demand there will be for it. The pilot will last for up to two years.

The service may enable older people to carry on living at home and keep their independence. It could also mean that people can return home from hospital quicker.

How does it work?
Telecare involves a range of sensors being fitted in your home, so that your health and well-being can be monitored more easily. For example, there are sensors which can tell if you have had a fall, remind you to take your medication as well as if there’s a risk of household dangers like a flood or fire.

These detectors are linked by the telephone line to our Lifeline system. When an alarm is triggered, it sends a warning to our Lifeline control centre, who can then respond.

Staff in the control centre would respond first by talking to you through the lifeline unit. By doing this, they can find out how serious the situation is or whether it’s just a false alarm. If they couldn’t get a response, they would ask for a support service to go out to your home. For our pilot, this support service will be someone who provides unpaid care to you, such as a family member, neighbour or friend. In future though, it may be that there is a dedicated response team set up, who will go out and check on you. 

Sensors can be either:
• ‘reactive’ – they are triggered when something happens, like a fall; or
• ‘preventative’- they are triggered if something that usually happens has not happened, such as a fridge door not being opened in 24 hours.

Who can try this service?
To take part in the pilot, you have to be:
• living in Stoke-on-Trent
• have an unpaid carer who could come and check on you, and
• be an older person (age 65 or over) who either:
- is frail or has limited mobility;
- has a chronic illness, like heart disease; or
- has mild dementia (people under 65 with dementia would be considered)

We only have a limited amount of equipment for the pilot, so unfortunately we can’t help everyone. We have to go through a process to decide who is in most need of the service. For more information about this process see ‘What happens when you are referred to us’ below.

How do you ask for this service?
You must be referred to us by a professional, such as a social worker, housing support officer or community psychiatric nurse. If you are not in contact with any professionals like this, you can phone our Telecare Technician, for more information or advice. Phone: 01782 238551.

What happens when you are referred to us?
Referrals will be looked at by a panel of professionals who meet every fortnight. For those accepted onto the scheme, we will contact you to arrange a time for our technician to visit, so they can see how the equipment could be fitted in your home. After that, the equipment should be fitted within seven working days.

Is there a charge?
There is no charge for telecare while you are trying it as part of the pilot. After the trial, you may be offered the opportunity to keep the equipment and there may then be a charge.

What equipment and sensors will be available on the pilot?
Each piece of equipment is listed on the top right hand side of this page under ‘More pages’. Click on each one, to see a description and a photo.

Other organisations that can help
These organisations also offer services for older people and their carers:

Lifeline- click here to go to their web page. This is part of the city council. They provide an alarm system which people can use any time of the day or night, in an emergency.

Integrated Community Equipment Service-  click here to go to their national website, where you can also get information about the local Stoke-on-Trent service. This is a Department of Health funded initiative across health and social care to develop community equipment services in England. The mission of the ICES Team is ‘To support and encourage the development and integration of people centred equipment services for the enhancement of health, well being and independence’.

North Staffordshire Carers Association- click here to go to their website. They give advice and information to all carers and run social and support groups.

Crossroads Care Scheme- click here to go to their national website. They offer practical help in the home for carers. To find out about the local, North Staffordshire scheme phone 01782 683141.

Approach- they work across North Staffordshire and help older people with mental health needs, including dementia. Phone: 01782 214999