TECHNOLOGY IN CARE
has raised substantial questions about what the right kind of care looks like. There is great interest right now in reimagining care for the future, with technology at the forefront of these discussions.
Technology within the home was already on the rise before the coronavirus outbreak of course, but it is likely now to appear front and centre when shaping future care provision.
In hſt’s Sector Pulse Check released at the start of 2020, three quarters of care providers surveyed reported using assistive technologies, but only 19% had them as a core part of their service. One in five providers did not use any technology at all.
Current research by Northumbria University is pointing to a digital approach to support home care. In a living lab, researchers are testing and developing a range of smart technologies – sensors, apps and virtual assistants like Alexa – to support vulnerable people to live more independently.
But it is vital that this technology talks. Too oſten, the data collected by these great pieces of kit sits isolated. Imagine the power if we were to bring all that data together into a genuine and detailed 'big picture' of the circumstance of a care recipient’s life. What a meaningful difference could care make when it was informed by such powerful intelligence?
MVP MENTALITY
Finally, if there is one lesson to be taken from this year’s events, it’s that we can change and we can do it quickly. We are working in ways that we previously thought impossible. Whether it’s video appointments or digital note taking, practices that were
twitter.com/TomorrowsCare
once viewed with suspicion or ridicule are now the norm.
To the surprise of many, people receiving care are embracing technology as much as providers. Older adults have adopted video calling in droves to keep in touch with family and friends. And we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people requesting access to our client and family portal, which helps family members take an active role in the care of their loved ones from a distance, be that booking a visit, viewing notes or sharing a memory.
Our hope is that the adaptability that has happened over recent months will lead to a greater ‘MVP’ or ‘minimum viable product’ approach in future. Defined in the technology world as a version of a new product which allows for a maximum amount of learning with the least effort, an MVP approach allows for much greater pace of change and drives innovation.
It would see care providers more inclined to pilot, to assess a piece of technology on its merits in action, before refining ahead of wider rollout.
This approach would allow the home care sector to reach that glimpse of a different future that we’ve seen this year, before it fades into a distant memory.
What is Unique IQ’s vision of home care technology in the future? A world where outstanding care is fuelled by the very best of what technology has to offer. That means constant innovation, a connected universe, meaningful intelligence, and the power to make truly fundamental change for the better.
www.uniqueiq.co.uk/care-management-soſtware - 33 -
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