IoT and Independent Living

Project description:

AIM: To pilot digital solutions enabling individuals with care needs to live safely and independently at home. 

At the same time, there are still areas where connectivity to digital networks precludes access to any beneficial opportunities.

For the individual to benefit from digital technologies there must be:

1.              Digital connectivity/network capability within the home

2.              Informed knowledge of the digital technologies that are available, and how they can be installed and operated.

3.              The ability to assess need and correlate these needs to digital technology capabilities

Many individuals live at home in isolation, with a range of health or mobility challenges.  With predictions for an increasingly older population, the financial pressures on care and support will increase.  With reducing financial resources being available, this will necessarily have a negative impact on these protected characteristics.

Digital technologies may themselves be able improve people’s well-being, and at the same time offer cost benefits that may enable resources to support the increasing demand.

The project will involve seconding an Occupational Therapist to the project who will assess the needs of 3 dementia affected service users with three different levels of support need.  The availability of appropriate equipment to meet those needs will be undertaken leading to their use being piloted and assessed in terms of benefits, costs and fit with our place-based delivery model.