Staffordshire Cares - Video Transcripts
Home & Community Care
Assistive Technology can help you at home (Transcript)
Demonstration
“If you are having trouble hearing on the telephone, hearing what
people are saying.”
“Yes.”
“This is the sort of phone that may be able to help you. It is called a big
button phone and it has extra volume built in.”
Demonstration
“This device enables visually impaired people to recognise items and
the key to it is the bar code which is stored on a small adhesive label.”
Narrator
Throughout Staffordshire Social Care and Health practitioners are,
supported by the council, are finding new ways to help people to live
their lives to the full.
Eric Robinson (Director for People & Deputy Chief Executive)
“Assistive technology is any bit of kit that would help somebody
continue to be independent in their lives. One of the things we wanted
to promote through our new vision was to make people and support
people to be as independent as they could, and we looked into different
types of services, different people could live at home with care and
support in their own home but actually the real difference that we’ve
made over the last 2 or 3 years is through the burgeoning use of
assistive technology.”
Matthew Ellis (County Councillor)
“Here in Staffordshire we are working really hard to make sure that
Assistive Technology is mainstream and not an afterthought people
can still live normal life, still live independently and enjoy life, they don’t
have to simply give up. Assistive technology is becoming more and
more impressive. It allows people to live independently and enjoy the
lifestyle they have always had even if they have health challenges or
are simply getting that little bit older.”
Narrator
The population of the UK is ageing, over the last 24 years the number
of people aged 65 or over has increased by £1.7 million, this figure is
set to increase further in the near future, there is an increased pressure
on Social Care and Health Services throughout the UK to meet the
demands of an ageing population and here in Staffordshire everyone is
working together to find effective solutions to the problem.
Dr Ian Greaves (Gnosall Surgery)
“The ever increasing ageing population means that we are more likely
to face challenges in the future about our independence. One of the
challenges we face is to keep people at home rather than putting them
into institutional care such as nursing homes or care homes. Assistive
Technology can help us with that, it can make sure that the patient is
safe at home and looked after, they are taking their medication at the
right time and they are not wandering or doing anything that would put
them in harms way. It allows people to remain independent at home for
longer.”
Narrator introducing Bilbrook House
Bilbrook House in South Staffordshire has been specially designed to
give members of the public, chance to see first hand, how assistive
technology can help around the home, and an opportunity to discover
specific solutions to individual needs.
Demonstrations “So you’re having problems hearing the door bell and
hearing the smoke alarm and different things around the house?”
“Yes”
“There is this gadget here that is called a pager system and you can
actually wear this during the day and then a trigger unit like these can
go off for the doorbell, telephone or the smoke alarm. It will actually set
this off and if I press this now you will feel that vibrate.”
“Oh yes that’s wonderful”
Mike Davies (Adult Care Manager, South Staffordshire)
“This is a suite of rooms, bedroom, bathroom, lounge and kitchen
which we’ve developed to look like anyone’s house really and yet at the
same time it is equipped with a lot of assistive technology.”
Demonstration “This is an adapted kitchen; the main feature in here is
an adjustable height unit, so it can be raised to this height for an able
bodied person or by touching here we can lower the worktop for a
wheel chair user. This unit here has also been set up for people who
may have some sort of visual impairment. Just by adding these to the
knobs they can feel where on and off is.”
Mike Davies (Adult Care Manager, South Staffordshire)
“It has get everything here to help you with general mobility; to help in
the kitchen to help with hygiene, bathing, so people can come in see
things try them out and find equipment that will help them with their day
to day living”.
Demonstration “We also have a bed sensor that just goes underneath
the mattress of the bed; it is set up for people who are at risk at night
time or are at risk of a fall need when going to the bathroom. If that
person does not return to bed it will trigger off an alarm which can then
access the paramedics or the family”.
Narrator Excursions away from home can also be problematic for
some, and again assistive technology can provide some solutions
Karen Nixon – Practice Lead Newcastle District
“The buddy system is a GPS system which is effectively a mobile
device that a service user can wear so that their carer, relative or
professional person can actually track where they are in the event of an
emergency or if they are lost or have not turned up for an appointment
or back home”.
Case Study
“I’m Mrs Mary Davis, this is my brother Tom Hammond and we both
look after our elder brother Alan Hammond who has dementia.”
“With his dementia he sometimes forgets where he is in the here and
now so he gets lost when he is out for a walk. He will go out for half an
hour and then not be able to get back home because he can’t
remember where he is supposed to be or where he is now”
“It’s about 2 years now since we have been introduced to the Buddy
System, its given me peace of mind and its given Alan the freedom to
go for a walk and we can still track him if he gets lost and we can find
him and bring him home.”
Narrator
Assistive technology need not be high tech; some very simple
products available on the High Street can be just as useful in helping
people to perform everyday tasks.
Jim Ellam’s - “Box of Tricks”
Jim Ellam, from Staffordshire County Council, meets regularly with a
focus group to put together a range of useful products into what he
calls his “box of tricks”, a selection of items to meet the needs of any
particular group of users.
“What we are doing today is looking at all the items we found when we
went shopping and for the box of tricks we are going to be selecting for
people with dementia. So things that will help to keep people safe,
maybe help them to remember to do things and reduce risks really.”
Focus Group Member
“I think this really good. This is something I gave to my granddad. He
has trouble with cooking and things like that but this has stopped him
burning his hands.”
Jim Ellam
“As part of Staffordshire Cares what we are trying to do is to help
people find a way through the system and quite often the technology,
the adaptations you can use are readily available but where would you
go and find them. So with the “box of tricks” we are trying to show
people what is available, how it can work together and how it can make
a difference to their lives so they can get on with living independently;
and as a carer how you can support the person you are supporting and
get support yourself from simple every day items”
Demonstration
“This one’s a countdown timer so you can plug something in like your
iron and then we sett the time to how long you want it and then when it
has run out of time it automatically switches the plug off so you can’t
leave the iron switched on.”
“OK we will put that in the box”
Mase - Alzheimer’s support evening
“Hello everybody and “Good Evening”, it is lovely to see so many of
you here.”
Armed with the box of tricks, from the box of tricks group, Jim and
Pauline visit a monthly Alzheimer’s support group to let people see first
hand a variety of products that might help them on a day to day basis.
“We’ve got a very clever gadget here these only cost £1”
“I have problems opening the bottles; from the supermarket this should
do the trick.”
“My dad takes a lot of medication so I have bought the pill dispenser; I
thought this might be useful to put them in the relevant days.”
Jim Ellam
“The box of tricks coming here will be something to help people to find
the items they want to without having to scour the high streets. If they
work here they can take them and help them get on with the rest of
their lives.”
Matthew Ellis (County Councillor)
“As demographic pressure grows as people get older, as people live
longer with complex needs assistive technology can really make a
difference by keeping people out of the really difficult, deep and
expensive social care or health system”