assistive technology 2 - life path trust limited report is a review of the assistive technology that...
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A Review of Assistive Technology and its’
impact
August 2009
Assistive Technology
This report has been prepared by
Life Path Trust Ltd. 511 Walsgrave Road
Coventry CV2 4AG
The authors are: Gary Bye and Mark Gibson Copyright © Life Path Trust Ltd 2009. This document may be copied and distributed under the following conditions:
• You must attribute the work to the copyright holders and authors. • You may not use this for commercial purposes
You may quote this publication providing:
• You attribute any quotations to the copyright holders and authors. • The publication is not for commercial purposes • A copy of the publication is sent to Life Path Trust
Introduction
This report is a review of the assistive technology that has been used by Life Path Trust to support people with learning disabilities. The equipment was first introduced in January 2007 and is based on the 2½ years experience that has been gained. Life Path Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee that has supported people with a learning disability since 1973. It has always been at the forefront of delivering support that is considered best practice and continuously evolves to maintain this position. With the introduction of technology into the social care arena, Life Path Trust undertook an evaluation of the available equipment in 2005. In 2007 Life Path Trust worked with Coventry City Council on a major implementation of assistive technology for people with a learning disability who the charity supported to live in their own homes. The level of support that the individuals needed covered a wide range, from people who only need a few hours a week to those who need physical support to wash and dress, and have support staff 24 hours a day. The equipment used consisted of a central control panel linked to a call centre operated by Coventry City Council with a range of active and passive sensors. The sensors activate the control panel when a button is pressed (active) or if a door is opened (passive), which notifies the call centre. The centre staff respond to the call by talking through the control panel to people in the house and alerting our staff or the emergency services. To deal with alerts from the assistive technology, Life Path Trust have set up a standby team of staff who can respond 24 hours a day, every day and will be with a service user within 30 minutes.
Assistive Technology
What is it
Assistive technology is a system that can be fitted into people’s homes that allows those who may need help and support to live with a minimum of intrusion from supporters, carers or relatives.
The system works by having a small control panel situated somewhere in the person’s home which is connected to a mains power supply and the telephone landline for the property. A number of wireless sensors, such as the epilepsy mats or the personal alarm triggers, can then be placed in the property as necessary which when activated, send a signal to the control panel which then dials out to a pre programmed telephone number. The pre programmed number is usually a call centre which is monitored 24 hours a day 365 days a year but can be any number such as a relative or carer if preferred. The system is fitted with a number of failsafe systems and all of the sensors (apart from the personal alarm triggers) are passive and therefore require no input from those living in the property. The system can be adapted to suit individuals and there is a vast array of sensors available, capable of meeting virtually any needs.
The equipment used
Main control panel This is the unit that receives the signals from the various sensors and then automatically dials out to the call centre. It has a number of failsafe features that ensure it is always on line.
Personal alarm triggers
These are the personal alarm triggers which are given to our service users who have assistive technology in their homes. They can be worn on the wrist or around the neck
Bogus caller alarm
These are situated on the inside door frames of external doors so that if an unwelcome caller tries to gain entry the service user can immediately press the button to call for help.
Bed occupancy mat These are placed under the mattress of service user’s beds and alert the call centre if someone has been out of bed for longer than the predetermined time, which can be set to suit the individual’s needs.
Epilepsy mat
Epilepsy mats are placed under the mattresses of service user’s beds who suffer from epilepsy. If the person begins to have a seizure whilst in bed the unit will alert the call centre.
Flood detector
Flood detectors are placed in kitchens and bathrooms and alert the call centre if they detect water on the floor, which could indicate an over flowing sink or bath.
The call system
When the equipment is activated either by someone pressing their personal alarm or by one of the sensors reacting e.g. the flood detector sensing water on the floor, the telephone automatically rings the call centre. The call centre is staffed 24 hours a day and when they receive a call their computer will tell the operator the name and address of the person whose alarm has been activated. The operator will normally talk over the alarm system to the person in the house if possible and try to find out what is wrong. If it is an automatic alarm such as an epilepsy monitor the call centre will immediately contact Life Path Trust standby staff. Often our staff are very close by where people have epilepsy monitors and will be with the person within a few minutes. Our staff can then assess the situation and if necessary call for further medical help. Not everyone who suffers from epileptic seizures needs medical help. Our standby staff are always available and will go to people when an alarm is triggered if necessary.
Case Studies
The case studies below show how people have used the system.
Tricia ‘modelling’ her personal alarm trigger which she can use to call for help at any time. Tricia has a moderate learning disability and also suffers from mid stage dementia. She shares her home with five other people who also have varying degrees of learning disabilities. Tricia is a very outgoing person who, despite her
dementia, enjoys being independent and likes to spend some time alone in her room or sitting in her garden. As you can see from her picture, Tricia likes to wear her personal alarm on her wrist and knows that simply by pressing the button she can summon help day or night should she need it. As the system has an operational range of around fifty feet, Tricia can still use her personal alarm trigger when she is outside in the garden. This system is a great help to Tricia as due to her dementia, she has problems remembering instructions and can easily panic and forget what to do should she have a problem. However, because she can see the personal alarm trigger on her wrist, this acts as a prompt and Tricia then knows to press the button to summon help. In Tricia’s case, the assistive technology installed in her home allows her to maintain some independence whilst at the same time giving her the security of knowing that help is never far away.
Nigel is a gentleman with moderate learning disabilities who lives in his own home in Coventry. Nigel is very house proud and loves relaxing and spending time in his room which he has put a lot of effort into getting exactly the way he likes it.
Nigel has a lot of skills and is able to do most things for himself. He enjoys his privacy and wants as little intrusion as possible but does suffer from epilepsy and has fairly regular seizures. The property that Nigel lives in is fitted with assistive technology and Nigel uses the system to monitor his epileptic seizures during the night. He also has a personal alarm trigger which he can use to call for assistance should he need to do so. Because Nigel uses an epilepsy mat placed under his mattress which detects if he is beginning to have a seizure, staff do not need to check on Nigel during the night which means less intrusion for him and more privacy. Also, because the system is very sensitive and monitors Nigel’s physical condition constantly when he is in bed, staff supporting Nigel are alerted to his seizures immediately and are made aware of seizures which may otherwise not have been known about. This is very important for Nigel as it means that he gets assistance with his seizures and staff are on hand to ensure that no complications arise and to call for medical assistance should it become necessary.
Christine has recently moved from a rather large care home into a new two bedroom flat and now receives support from Life Path Trust. Christine has a mild to moderate learning disability and is a very sociable lady who loves to chat and get out and about. She does have some health related problems, the main one being that she suffers from
type one diabetes which has affected her sight and she is now partially sighted. Despite this Christine is very independent and does not always want to have support staff with her in her flat all the time.
Christine has assisted technology installed in her flat which means that she now only needs support staff with her around meal times and to support her when taking her medication. The assessment which was carried out for Christine identified that the important areas for her were being able to summon help and also to ensure that no unwelcome visitors were allowed to gain entry to her flat. This meant that a bogus caller alert button was fitted and she has a personal alarm trigger which she wears around her neck at all times. For Christine the assistive technology enables her to live with as little intrusion as possible and get support when she really needs it. She feels secure as she knows that she is able to call for assistance at any time.
Benefits
The use of assistive technology can bring with it many benefits.
For those using the equipment there is the major benefit from increased independence and the reassurance that having a call system can bring. It is so much better for people to know that they can call for help when they need it, rather than having some one looking in on them every 10 minutes just to check they are alright. For peoples’ families and friends having assistive technology installed can be very reassuring. For anyone using the equipment a link to a call centre they can be used to inform if there is a problem, or the control panel can be used to call the family direct. In Life Path Trust, families and friends find the addition of the stand by service adds another degree of safety for their family members and they know that we will respond if there is a need. There are also considerable financial benefits from using assistive technology which can be both direct and indirect, some of which are realisable and others are not. Realisable saving are when changes can be made which make the support less expensive, sometimes though support is not designed with the technology in mind and alternatives would not be possible that give the person the same level of independence.
Direct savings are because alternatives to provide the support or safety net are more expensive e.g. having a waking member of staff at night is
more expensive than having someone sleeping in with technology alerts if someone needs support.
In Life Path Trust we have also been able to make other savings because we have established the standby services. These savings are not as a direct result of the assistive technology but have been made for other people we support who do not use assistive technology. The saving are mainly with support over night when service users are asleep. The financial saving of using assistive technology are: When assistive technology was first introduced the savings were:
Direct £210.05 per day
Indirect £86.00 per day
This is a total saving of £108,058 per year. With the development of new support packages as people have moved from sharing a house with several other people to flats with just 2 bedrooms it has become more difficult to estimate savings, since many of the support packages would be too costly. The savings people supported by Life Path Trust when everyone has moved in 2009 will be:
Direct £467.80 per day
Indirect £0.00 per day
There will no longer be any indirect savings as everyone will be using assistive technology equipment. This is a saving of £170,747.00 a year. Note: These savings are all calculated at 2009 prices. The appendix gives a detailed break down of these savings. In addition to the benefits for those being supported and their families there are also benefits for the organisation - Life Path Trust. These benefits are that by using assistive technology we can work towards our organisation’s mission statement of “enabling people with learning disabilities to live their life to the full”. Assistive technology definitely gives people a fuller and more independent life style.
Conclusion
Assistive technology has considerable benefits which are both financial and for individuals independence. The reassurance and security that assistive technology can give to the service users and their family is a very important factor and one which cannot be given a price. All of the people supported by Life Path Trust who use assistive technology have embraced it and have increased their independence because of it. Some people are spending time on their own in their home which they would not have done without the benefit of assistive technology. Financially the technology can save each individual up to £3,800 per year on their support package. This figure does not include the sense of security that it gives people and so they may spend time in their home on their own, when without the technology they may want someone to be there ‘just in case’. The financial saving will become more important to people as they take control of personalised funding and will be able to use savings from using assistive technology to spend on other support that they want and need.
App
end
ix
Init
ial
intr
oduc
tion
of
assi
stiv
e te
chno
logy
.
Cos
t
A
ssis
tive
Cos
t
Saving
Prop
erty
Pr
e A
ssis
tive
Tec
hno
logy
T
ech
nolo
gy
Post
Ass
isti
ve T
ech
nolo
gy
W
akin
g N
igh
t S
leep
In
used
Wak
ing
Nig
hts
S
leep
In
T
ech
C
ost
Direct
Ind
irect
40
A
£0
.00
£
61.
20
N
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
£7
.00
£0.0
0
£23.6
0
1M
£0
.00
£
61.
20
N
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
£7
.00
£0.0
0
£23.6
0
21M
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
Y
£0
.00
£
0.0
0
£7
.00
£23.6
0
£0.0
0
111M
£
0.0
0
£6
1.2
0
N
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£
11.2
0
£0.0
0
£19.4
0
37
S
£0
.00
£
61.
20
N
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
£11
.20
£0.0
0
£19.4
0
5L
£14
6.2
5
£3
0.6
0
Y
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£
8.4
0
£137.8
5
£0.0
0
37
W
£0
.00
£
30
.60
Y
£
0.0
0
£0
.00
£
8.4
0
£22.2
0
£0.0
0
511
W
£0
.00
£
30
.60
Y
£
0.0
0
£0
.00
£
4.2
0
£26.4
0
£0.0
0
Tot
al
£210.0
5
£86.0
0
£2
96
.05
pe
r d
ay
£10
8,0
58
.25
pa
Assumptions used in the calculations In preparing the savings in the next section some assumptions have had to be made, since without assistive technology the support service for people living in small flats would have had to be very different. It is assumed that if technology suddenly was not available to support people living in the flats there would need to be a night watchman type of service to cover the communal areas of the flats and look in on people who needed to be checked during the night. This has been costed as a waking night support service provided by one member of staff.
Sav
ings
wit
h s
ome
peop
le n
ow l
ivin
g in
tw
o b
edro
om f
lats
Cos
ts
Ass
isti
ve
C
osts
Saving
Prop
erty
W
ith
Tec
hno
logy
Tec
hno
logy
If
sup
port
pro
vid
ed w
ith
out
tech
nolo
gy
W
akin
g N
igh
t S
leep
In
T
ech
nolo
gy
used
Wak
ing
Nig
hts
S
leep
In
Direct
Ind
irect
R
C
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£
12.6
0
Y
£
146
.25
£
0.0
0
-£
103
.05
£
0.0
0
WC
6
£0
.00
£
61.
20
£
14.0
0
Y
£
146
.25
£
30
.60
-£10
1.6
5
£0
.00
11
1M
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£
11.2
0
N
£
0.0
0
£6
1.2
0
£
0.0
0
-£19
.40
3
7S
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
£11
.20
N
£0
.00
£
61.
20
£0
.00
-£
19.4
0
5L
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£
8.4
0
Y
£
146
.25
£
30
.60
-£13
7.8
5
£0
.00
3
7W
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
£0
.00
N
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£0
.00
£
0.0
0
511
W
£0
.00
£
0.0
0
£4
.20
Y
£0
.00
£
30
.60
-£2
6.4
0
£0
.00
Total
-£368.9
5
-£38.8
0
-£407.7
5
per
day
-£14
8,8
28
.75
pa
Sav
ings
wh
en a
ll pe
ople
wh
o ar
e pl
anni
ng t
o m
ove
to t
wo
bed
room
fla
ts h
ave
mov
ed:
C
osts
C
osts
Saving
Prop
erty
W
ith
Tec
hno
logy
If s
uppo
rt p
rovi
ded
wit
hou
t te
chno
logy
W
akin
g N
igh
t S
leep
In
T
ech
nolo
gy
Ass
isti
ve
Tec
hno
logy
us
ed
Wak
ing
Nig
hts
S
leep
In
Direct
Ind
irect
R
C
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£
12.6
0
Y
£
146
.25
£
0.0
0
-£
103
.05
£
0.0
0
WC
6
£0
.00
£
61.
20
£
14.0
0
Y
£
146
.25
£
30
.60
-£10
1.6
5
£0
.00
W
C10
£
0.0
0
£6
1.2
0
£16
.80
y
£
146
.25
£
30
.60
-£9
8.8
5
£0
.00
5
L £
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
£8
.40
Y
£14
6.2
5
£3
0.6
0
-£
137
.85
£
0.0
0
37
W
£0
.00
£
30
.60
£
0.0
0
N
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
£
0.0
0
£0
.00
5
11W
£
0.0
0
£0
.00
£
4.2
0
Y
£
0.0
0
£3
0.6
0
-£
26
.40
£
0.0
0
Total
-£467.8
0
£0.0
0
-£467.8
0
per
day
-£17
0,7
47
.00
pa
Get in touch with us:
� 511 Walsgrave Road Coventry CV2 4AG
� Tel: 024 7665 0530
� Fax: 0845 458 9716
� www.life-path.org.uk