Telecare In Midlothian
Midlothian Council and its health care partners have won funding of over £111,000 to help older and disabled citizens to stay safely in their own homes.
The cash, phased over a two year period is obtained from the Scottish Executive’s Telecare Development Programme and will help to pay for a special type of electronic equipment that links the person’s home by telephone to a control centre. The control centre is alerted when a sensor is activated or by the person pressing a trigger in a particular circumstance such as a fall. Midlothian Council, which applied for the funding, has recognised the benefits of Telecare, and is supporting the initiative with substantial cash of its own. The system will initially support up to 150 older and disabled local residents.
Norma McNeill, Planning Officer with the Council’s physical disability service, explained that telecare will play a vital role in supporting people to stay longer in their own homes and makes it easier for those returning home from hospital. She told Midlothian News that a pilot project run in the Midlothian area had attracted overwhelming support from users and their families.
Pointing out that it was much more than a community alarm service, Norma said the equipment could be activated by the absence of movement, indicating that someone had fallen or by the person themselves activating the alarm. Along with a range of other services, including care workers and a response team, the Telecare programme will contribute towards preventing people from having to be admitted to hospital and make it easier for any patient when he or she is discharged from hospital.
“If someone forgets to turn off a cooker and heat builds up, the alarm will activate and alert the control centre. The movement sensor can be set as an intruder alarm if the householder is out, and a bogus caller alarm will alert the operators in the control room if the occupier suspects a caller is not who he or she claims to be.”
Norma said: “There is growing evidence that, when linked to an appropriate range of response actions, Telecare plays a vital role in supporting people to maintain their independence and live in the community with greater safety and security.
“It can reduce the need for someone to move into a hospital or care home, and provides reassurance to carers and family members, allowing them to continue in their role as carers.”