How can telecare become an option of keeping people out of hospital and home cares?
Abstract.
The problem of using hospitals as a place of monitoring less physically able and old people has been in the increase due to the increase of their number. There are a multiple shortcomings that are related to hospitalization as a method of monitoring. This include: congestion in the hospitals, emotional detachments, risk of infections and in some cases malnutrition. Telecare can offer a conclusive solution to these problems.
Introduction
Tele care is offering care of old and the less physically fit people with remote care by providing reassurance needed to enable them to continue living in their living homes. It is a technology of offering electronic monitoring via person centered technologies to ensure maximum care and support to individuals. In many countries telecare has been applied as a practice of offering health care services at a distance. . The use of sensors is one part of the technology which helps in providing support for people who for example are suffering from illnesses like dementia or epilepsy.
Back ground information.
Telecare programme was launched in august of 2006 in Scotland. It was designed to help more p Older People, People with Disabilities and People with mobility impairments to live in their homes for longer with safety and security through an associated and a development fund. In was intended to become an integrated part of the Scotland community care services. The use of this technology reduced the rate at which people were inappropriately admitted to hospitals especially due to falls and other related accidents in their homes.
Research questions
In trying to understand well the research topic the following research questions shall be answered
1. How is the telecare programme packages designed to offer a conclusive solution to healthcare?
2. How does telecare policy affect the health care systems of the community and its impact Peoples lifestyles?
3. What are the management issues that need to be exploited for the implementation of telecare?
4. How does telecare impact the lifestyles of old people and people living with physical complications?
Specific objectives
1. What can be done to improve the efficiency of telecare in offering health solutions?
2. To increase creativity in addressing the system and measures that can be added to the
Technology to make it more effective in terms of cost, capability to be accessed by more
people and lay a platform of expansion in future.
3. To advocate for the use of telecare on behalf of individual consumers statewide and
national level. This involves creating awareness and educating; people on the benefits of
Using telecare as an alternative method of dealing with old age and physical disabilities
Major aims
The major aims of this research is to study how telecare have impacted the health care department and how it has offered solutions from keeping people with physical disabilities and old age people in hospitals and its social and economical benefits to the community as a whole. In this research we will take a case study of home health care and the elderly people living in UK.
Methodology
This research will focus on the different types of assistive technologies that are given to people over the age of 70. The assistive technology in this case refers to devices or systems that will allow old people to perform tasks that they would otherwise be incapable of perform. The devices will increase safety and ease with which they will perform the tasks.
These devices will form part of the tele health and telecare service packages which will involve devices linked to response centers via a personal telephone, alarm services, monitors of fall or fire detectors, and gas detectors. These devices will range from low level devices high tech sophisticated gadgets and hearing equipments. This may also include use of technologies like the access to internet which may pray a big role in ensuring the well being, safety and independence of the old. This research will not focus on how specific assisting devices will work, but on how the devices will be used by individual, organizations in meeting the older people needs and different practitioners. The main priority is to help the older people continue with their lives while living at home to avoid social isolation and increase their independence while per taking their daily chaos. (Roger B. Diane R. 2008)
Limitations
Among the limitations of this research is the cost and resources implication of telecare. It
Is a very expensive undertaking as it involves the working of professionals who work at the call alarm centers and 24 hours response service.
Risk taking. Some older people who are becoming older and want to remain at home and keep their personal lives and dairy routines private. This makes it hard for the study to be undertaken as some of them sees it as a way of publicizing their affairs which they do not condone. A study conducted indicates that older people who are suffering from falls do not want their falls to be known for fear of negative consequences like relocation to institutional care. (Hawley 2004).
Research validity and reliability
The devices used in each investigation were evaluated in terms of convergent validity and discriminate reliability. The factors analyzed were then concluded to give a conclusive picture of how the telecare devices worked in comparison to use of hospitals as a tool of offering and monitoring health aspects of the old.
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