Recent exposure in the media has uncovered a 'looming crisis' in low standards of care provided by "at-home" care services for the elderly, and brought it directly to the public eye. The figures are a real cause for concern. According to Care Minister Norman Lamb, there are over 300,000 people currently relying on homecare services in the UK, yet a third of all care and nursing homes in England aren't meeting the necessary standards.
As our population ages, these already stretched services will continue to be placed under more and more strain. As a result, it is imperative that we find sustainable solutions to support older people in our society. So how can we ensure their safety? For me, the answer lies partly in remote video monitoring.
Seeing is Believing
The high profile nature of this issue in the public domain will undoubtedly cause concern to anyone who has an elderly friend or relative in the at-home care system, as well as those who were planning to call upon these services in the future. Society tends to want to keep people in their own home as long as they can, which I couldn't agree more with, but when we are asleep at night or at work during the day, who is there to watch?
Remote home surveillance systems give people the ability to monitor their relatives without being physically present, and be alerted to any unusual movements that occur inside, or outside, the house. More and more people are turning to remote monitoring solutions such as HomeMonitor, to help them watch over elderly relatives at home, particularly those who have paid-for domiciliary care. On a day to day basis, we are receiving a high level of positive feedback about what our cameras have done for these people and their families.
I'm reminded of one particularly touching case about Anna, a customer who used our cameras to monitor her elderly grandmother who, with advanced Alzheimer's, was susceptible to wandering at night and at risk of falling. By installing the cameras at her grandmother's house, Anna was able to carry out her normal daily activities such as a routine visit to the supermarket, without worrying about her safety at home alone. In a tender gesture, after her grandmother passed away, she sent the camera back to our offices, so that we may donate it to someone else in the same situation.
Reassurance is at the centre of our business, and we aim to give people piece of mind by allowing them to see exactly what is going on. My personal experiences have shown me what it is like to know something was happening at home, but be powerless to discover what the problem was, or what I could do. Ever since, we have used technology to alleviate the stresses for families by allowing them to be there, even when they're not.
It's Time to Change
Social Care Minister Norman Lamb recently stated that "there is a crisis in the homecare system for the elderly and disabled in England". The current system is not working, but through technology, we can provide comfort, independence and security for older people in our society, and turn back the tide of declining standards in at-home care.
We live in an aging society and as we get older, we become more aware of the fact that we need to provide safety and security for those close to us who are getting older or perhaps dealing with an illness. With pressure on the NHS and local services mounting, now is the time to embrace technology as a means of improving homecare services across the UK.