Telecare Providing Vital Support For People With Dementia And Their Families

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Article Date: 18 Dec 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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There are 700,000 people in the UK currently living with dementia. This number is expected to double by 2019, with 163,000 new cases of dementia occurring in England and Wales each year. In total, 42% of the UK population are affected by dementia - by way of knowing a close friend or family member with the condition.

Currently, only 3% of the Government's medical research budget is being spent on dementia research and, according to the King's Fund's 2008 report, 'Paying the Price', dementia costs in the UK will reach almost £35 billion within the next 20 years.

In response to this, the Government has launched its first national strategy on dementia to bring the disease "out of the shadows". The strategy focuses on improving public awareness, early diagnosis and treatment of dementia. Innovative models of support are also being developed that promote independence, by allowing people with dementia to stay in their own homes for longer. Telecare plays a key role in facilitating the shift from traditional models of residential care, to supporting people at home.

Personalised Telecare solutions

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) provides personalised Telecare solutions - which are installed in the home, to support independent living and complement existing social care services. By using a series of unobtrusive sensors around the home that can detect possible problems such as smoke, gas, flood, fire, a fall or exit from a property at night, an alert will immediately be sent to a monitoring centre or a carer - enabling them to provide an appropriate response.

Tunstall is currently piloting the new 'Vega' which offers a unique and intelligent service to provide high quality care for people with dementia. It is designed for people who may be at risk of unsafe walking, if leaving their home unaccompanied, or who are unable to return home without assistance.

Case Study

Barbara is in her 80s, has moderate dementia and lives alone. On occasion she became confused and started leaving her home during the night. Her family had to keep a close watch on her and occasionally escort her home at night. In addition, Barbara had been leaving cooking pans unattended and her family were under a lot of pressure to care for her at home.

A Telecare package was installed, including a property exit sensor which sends an alert to a 24-hour monitoring centre. On eighty seven occasions during a three month period, the monitoring centre was able to persuade Barbara to stay at home instead of leaving the house at night. There were only three occasions when her family was called out to bring her home after she left the property. Telecare allowed Barbara to delay a move into residential care by sixteen months, helping to maintain her independence.

Tunstall has also recently launched a new website http://www.alzheimers-support.com. It is designed to help people with Alzheimer's and their families, friends and carers, access information, advice and support to help relieve some of the pressures associated with caring for someone with dementia. The website is the first of its kind to provide fully global support - offering advice in multiple languages on solutions that support safety and greater independence.

Find out more about Tunstall Telecare solutions by going to the Care Directions' website: http://www.caredirections.co.uk

Care Directions