Telecare and Community Alarms Service Keith Hannah, Head of Directorate Support

Control centre is based at Barrington Street, South Shields Links with sheltered schemes – South Tyneside Homes and other social landlords Funding via Supporting People programme Privately funded clients 24/7 service Telecare and Community Alarms Service

Dispersed alarm in people’s homes with push button / pendant to access help Monitoring of calls that come into the service Mobile response as necessary to respond to calls Falls service to lift people Development of Telecare users on the service Current Service Provision

Automatic electronic monitoring service Uses a range of different items of equipment Remote monitoring / response Uses existing infrastructure Real alternative to traditional social care services Successful pilot in 2006/08 - new mainstreamed service from April 2008 What is Telecare?

24/7 service to lift people who have fallen In people were assisted 2.5% reduction in Accident and emergency visits in the same period Reduction in demand for ambulance service Potential saving to health in excess of £220k Falls Service

Develop three levels of service –Monitoring –Monitoring and mobile response –Telecare Review of service charges Develop structure to meet service demands Increase customer base Develop with Adult Services Future of the Service

People can live at home longer Can be part of a wider care package It is a “real” alternative to residential care – cost effective and value for money Can be used flexibly and designed to meet the user’s specific needs Provides support and peace of mind to carers / family members Can be used for short term interventions See case study examples Key Benefits of the Service

Case Study 1 Mr A suffers from Grand Mal seizures and is prone to falls. He is particularly vulnerable to seizures during his sleep and vulnerable during the day from seizure- induced falls; he is particularly at risk as he lives alone and requires urgent intervention should a seizure occur. Mr A’s wished to remain as independent as possible living in his own home. Mr A’s package consisted of an epilepsy detection module, a falls detection unit and 24-hours monitoring and mobile response. During the past 12 months, there have been 18 activations Mr A’s Telecare System has activated in real life emergency situations 18 times requiring an intervention by the Community Alarms Team. The team have dealt with his condition without the need to involve a hospital visit or an increase in his care package provision. Over 12 months on from Mr A’s original assessment as having substantial needs he continues to live supported by Assistive Technology in his home of choice.

Case Study 2 Mrs B is almost 80 years old and has a history of dementia, which has resulted in several near miss situations where she left gas appliances unlit. Mrs B was considered to be at substantial risk and therefore residential care was a real option. Following assessment, Mrs B’s home was equipped with an Assistive Technology Natural Gas Fail Safe device and monitoring and response package provided by the Community Alarms Service at Barrington Street. At the time of writing there have been three failsafe activations, which have been responded to by the monitoring and response service, which called gas contractors and arranged quick reconnection of Mrs B gas supply. The outcome has meant that Mrs B has continued to live for the past 12 months safely in her home without the need for residential care or further intervention.

Case Study 3 Ms C is a 45 year old who at the time of the installation of the Wandering Solution was recovering from a serious cerebral trauma, which had left her in a state where she frequently suffered episodes of forgetfulness and wandering. An intensive care package was put in place, however, her next of kin were under huge pressure due to her condition and her obvious vulnerability. For a three-month period a tailored Assistive Technology Wandering Package was used to allow Ms C to live a more normal and safe life. The solution also gave reassurances to the next of kin that when she wandered she could be quickly located or in situations during the night the systems would alarm and the next of kin would be made aware of any unusual activities. Subsequently, Ms C has made significant progress in her recovery and the Wandering Solution has now been removed and reused for another client.