Technology
When young people consider which careers they might want to start, there is no doubt that this image then contributes to their decisions. It also affects people’s willingness to pay for care services, or desire to enter care homes, when they underestimate the quality of life that they’re likely to experience.
That is why a more progressive approach
to technology can also help to renew the sector’s public image, which in turn will support its overall reform. Social media presents a brilliant opportunity to accelerate this process. It can raise awareness of new initiatives, staff performance, and the quality of care delivered. When done well, this not only helps to raise the profile of a care organisation, but also improves the public image of the care sector as a whole. It can help to connect support networks and make staff feel appreciated by means that a large portion of the population is now familiar with. One of Social-Ability’s partners, Kirklands Care, showed how this could be done to excellent effect in May 2024. Its montage video showing several of its residents enjoying interactive light therapy went viral on TikTok, was watched over 2.9 million times, and received over 225,000 ‘likes’. The video, which was only 24 seconds long and would not have taken long to create, likely succeeded because it showed how simple technology can be used to directly improve the lives of elderly people. The residents in the video are smiling and laughing, which clearly resonated with users on the platform. Some of the other ways that social media can help care organisations are: n Facilitating industry conversations: Social media can help care organisations stay up to date with the latest industry developments and news. It could help to pick up on new methods, strategies, and technologies (like interactive light therapy) that other care organisations are sharing.
n Communicating with potential clients: Many people now use social media to communicate directly with organisations they interact with. For care organisations, this might include clients’ families and potential employees. Care organisations can also publish their responses to frequent questions on their public channels.
n Attracting new employees: Social media can, of course, be used to promote job vacancies. But it also raises general awareness of the organisation, which
20
means that more people are likely to show an interest in working there (so long as the content published is appealing).
Before investing huge amounts of time into social media, it is important for care organisations to identify which platforms will be most appropriate for their needs. Different channels serve different purposes and target different audiences. For business-related information, LinkedIn remains the best platform. For a more general audience, Facebook is the best, with a range of additional functions like community groups that might prove useful. Depending on whether they expect to publish lots of images, Instagram could be a great option for engaging photos, videos, and short-form text to accompany them. TikTok is a little more adventurous, but presents an opportunity to reach large audiences of typically younger people, as Kirklands Care did. Once invested in an appropriate platform, or platforms, there are a few things that can improve the process and outcomes: n Focus on visuals: It has been said over and over again, but I will say it again: social media is all about visuals. That does not mean that you should neglect text. On the contrary, text is extremely important. But care organisations should always try to accompany it with original visual elements like photos or videos. This will capture users’ attention and convince them to keep reading.
n Use social media management tools: There is a wide range of tools available to help organisations manage their social media. This might be deemed an unnecessary expense for care organisations just starting out, but for those more experienced in social media, they are worth investing in – especially when managing several different accounts. They can help to schedule and plan posts in advance, which increases efficiency.
n Keep tabs on awareness days: National awareness days are excellent opportunities, especially in the health and care sectors, for care organisations to draw attention to specific work they are involved in. It is important to engage with these events only if they have something relevant and constructive to share. Using hashtags can help to increase the number of people who see relevant posts.
The care sector stands at a crossroads, facing the challenges of an ageing population but also presented with an opportunity for meaningful transformation. By embracing technological innovation, it can move beyond incremental improvements and create a system that is not only sustainable but genuinely enriching for those it serves. Interactive sensory experiences, streamlined communication, and data- driven insights are just the beginning. It is time to rethink the role of technology in care – not as an optional extra, but as a fundamental tool for positive change. This shift will not only improve the quality of life for our elders, but also attract a new generation of dedicated caregivers who will redefine the possibilities of social care in the UK.
n
John Ramsay
As a teenager, John experienced first-hand the difficulties of having a loved one live with dementia after his father was diagnosed. Helping care for his father instilled a passion for the dementia care industry, which led John to leave his professional career as a corporate lawyer at Linklaters in London to pursue interactive light technology as a beneficial product for people living with dementia. He started Social-Ability with the aim of revolutionising care for people with cognitive challenges through interactive light technology and activities tailored for care home residents.
John is currently the managing
director of Social-Ability, a member of the UK’s National Standards Committee on Ageing Societies, and a passionate advocate for raising awareness of the challenges faced by those living with cognitive challenges.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com September 2024
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
