Digital technology


A rough guide to care home safety technology


Gail Booker-Tyas, co-founder of independent nurse call provider InstaCare Systems, takes a critical look at care home safety technology, including digital care planning, wireless fall prevention technology and staff attack systems


We live in unprecedented times and, from a working viewpoint, nowhere more than within the care sector. Rightly, while much has been said about the roles of care staff in hospitals, there is less focus on the needs of their social care brothers and sisters. The care home sector is even more challenged to ensure the dignity and wellbeing of its 400,000 strong residents. Numbers continue to rise significantly due to increased life expectancy and our ability to manage long term conditions such as dementia, heart disease, arthritis and stroke. Increasingly, more care should be


provided at home. However, care homes will still cater for the more demanding aspects of some of these conditions, particularly dementia and mental health. Efforts to provide freedom, dignity and


maintenance of both physical and mental health and wellbeing will place greater demands on care staff. Yet the need to manage the safety risks they face to help their residents achieve these goals will increase. The pandemic has dramatically


increased the need for streamlining processes, making better use of technology and identifying new ways to support overstretched care staff – all with an emphasis on ‘low touch’ to help improve infection control. The safety technology market was


already well versed with solutions to traditional problems but the enforced set of circumstances that Covid created has meant care providers have used new technology like never before. Care industry safety technology has made huge progress over the last five


Care industry safety technology has made huge progress over the last five years, from the introduction of wireless systems and accessories to the much broader use of digital care plans


22


years, from the introduction of wireless systems and accessories to the much broader use of digital care plans. It is exciting to see the integration options that are now available - from apps to intelligent systems that allow the sharing of information between a call bell system and digital care plan, through to intelligent fall detection systems. However, the speed with which


technology changes can sometimes be daunting to owners and managers. So, where to start? There is so much out there and with budgets already stretched, despite some additional government funding, what can technology do to assist in keeping their residents safe?


Digital care planning The care industry has been inundated with digital care plan options over the last few years, with much confusion over which would most suit an individual setting. Paper care plans, no matter how


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • August 2021


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52