Hello, I’m William Hallt, a digital navigator at Wolverhampton City Council. Having begun my career as a residential care worker, I have always been motivated by a desire to help people. As a digital navigator, I help social care professionals navigate the fast-moving world of care technology – working with them to identify the best solutions and ensure their knowledge is up-to-date to inform care-package design.
When we think of technology in social care, we tend to think of old-fashioned telecare systems. Technology Enabled Care is very different, it allows us to adopt a more holistic approach and create tailored care packages to meet a wide variety of needs, not just one. It isn’t just about a falls pendant around someone’s neck. We can provide smart watches that have geolocation and geo-fencing built in, but which still look like a smartwatch so they are more up-do-date and on trend. There is a whole host of sensors – from room sensors, radar sensors, door sensors, tablets and mat sensors available – all of which offer different functionality but can also be integrated to create a more comprehensive package. Then there are smart devices, such as plugs that tell us when devices, such as a kettle, are being used; or reader pens for text to speech translation; and tablets that keep people connected with their friends and family, or remind them to take medication at certain time, and so on.
Everything is designed to help people live more independently and stay connected with those they care about, as loneliness is one of the biggest challenges for older citizens too.
All of our installations are developed in conjunction with the service user and their family so they are comfortable with what is being proposed. The technology is also designed to not be intrusive so, for example, all of the sensors are based on movement, not video, and the data is kept on secure servers. We don’t have any cameras in people’s homes, except for in the interactive tablet.
The world is changing, and change can be very scary. That is why my role exists, to provide support for citizens and social workers alike to get to grips with the technology and ensure they are comfortable. Everyone has different needs so we approach each service user independently, creating a package that is unique to them.
For example, we recently implemented a package for an elderly lady who was stuck in a short-term care home. The team was thinking about transitioning her to a permanent care home, which neither she nor her family wanted. We devised a package of technology-enabled care we could install in her home instead, ready for when she walked through the front door. She is really engaging with it now and is so much happier. Her life has changed massively for the better, simply because we were able to get her home.
Technology also offers significant benefits to local councils, who are facing growing budget pressures for delivering adult social care. Care homes are very expensive and waking nights care is very expensive too. If we can use technology to lift some of this pressure – by reminding citizens to take their medication or receiving alerts if they’ve had a fall, for example – elderly citizens can stay safely in their homes for longer, reducing pressures on local authorities, as well as the NHS by reducing admissions and helping speed vulnerable residents home more quickly when their treatment has finished.
If I could only pick one technology to make more widely available, it would have to be the video care ‘phone, which is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment currently available. It operates through an app that is set up on a tablet and can be used by the service users’ friends, family and care providers alike, allowing them to communicate more frequently and easily. On the one hand, it is a great way to help combat loneliness when families are dispersed, and build rapport between care providers and service users, but on then other, it makes it easier for care workers to check-in on residents without imposing on their private space. For example, by using the video care phone, we can make sure that vulnerable residents are safe and taking their medication without visiting multiple times a day, allowing citizens to retain more independence and autonomy. The system is really easy to set up. It can be pre-programmed with key contacts’ details and includes an option to include photos, as well as names, so it is easier to use for citizens who may have cognitive conditions, such as dementia.
