Delaying
Residential Care
Residential
Care, besides being expensive, is usually the least preferred
solution for many older people as it removes choice, flexibility,
and independence from their daily lives. The Government is fully
committed, through both policy and investment, to supporting people
in their own homes. This helps maintain dignity, choice and an
overall better quality of life; institutionalisation has to be
avoided.
The
challenge is objectively identifying and then minimising the risks
The
cost of providing Residential Care for our elderly is one of the
largest social expenditures the nation has to cope with. As infants,
we were all dependent upon our parents. Through adult life we
are mainly independent and as we grow older we begin to rely more
on health and social services. A growing range of services is
required as the capacity for independent living diminishes. When
the risks if independence and the complexity of care needs reach
significant levels, Residential Care is almost inevitable. Evidence
based assessment is therefore crucial.
Many
Social Service and Housing Departments are already struggling
to financially support the current numbers of older people within
Residential Care. Increased life expectancy will create even greater
strain on budgets at the same time as National Service Frameworks
demand improved levels of care. Acting now, despite tight budgets,
is essential to prevent institutionalised care becoming inevitable;
prevention is required.
.
Maintaining the confidence of many older
people is achieved by reducing episodes and crises such as falls
or hospitalisations that erode self-belief and create a spiral
of decline. An older person’s confidence is increased
by knowing that the Telecare Response Service is just a button
press away and that, even if it is out of reach or they are
unconscious, help will arrive. Knowing that health staff will
intervene proactively if there are early signs of deterioration,
justifies that confidence. Today’s preventative telecare
provides these capabilities and more.
People who benefit most include those
with early stage dementia not severe enough yet to warrant residential
care, or those who have fallen previously but are still capable
of pursuing independent lives at home.
.
WristCare has the capability
Telecare itself cannot directly delay
residential care; it is the provision of services that does so.
WristCare helps the teams that support falls reduction, people
with dementia, those with Long Term Conditions and hospital discharge.
By improving the quality and capacity of these services, as well
as improving the overall confidence of the clients, WristCare
delays residential care.
The total cost of WristCare’s protection for a year is less
than one month in Residential Care. Delaying entry into care for
just a few weeks therefore results in significant savings.
Improved
confidence
Discreet
profile
Manual
Alarm
Medication
management & compliance
Deterioration
alarm
= more information
