The Role of Remote Monitoring in Supporting Isolated and Shielding Older People
Guest blog by Paul Berney, Anthropos
So much has already been written about the effect of COVID-19 on care and on those being cared for, that I feel I don’t need to repeat it here. We are all too aware of the immense challenges it has caused.
But just as COVID-19 accelerated other industries and their digital plans by 10-years (in some cases), the pandemic has highlighted the importance of remote monitoring of older people in their homes, delivered through a Connected Care Platform.
Remote monitoring is a trend that was starting to grow before COVID-19 and I believe that in five years’ time, it would be unthinkable to have care services without connected care as a basic part of the care package.
Telecare vs Connected Care
It is important to understand the difference between a Connected Care Platform and traditional telecare.
Telecare plays an important role in helping respond to an issue in the older person’s home, such as a fall. Connected Care takes that further; by not just looking for emergencies, but by also looking for meaningful changes in behaviour that indicate something could be going wrong, thereby supporting pre-emptive action to be taken.
Connected Care works by placing a range of smart sensors into the homes of older people, collecting data from them and then turning that data into intelligence. For example, the platform can see a decrease in the use of the kettle, microwave and fridge, indicating that the older person is not looking after themselves as well as they should. At its best, Connected Care can provide a window into the lives of older people.
From assessing data from the Anthropos Connected Care platform, our machine learning has been able to identify for care providers and family members, previously unknown and unseen changes in behaviour for over 70% of the people we help monitor. These insights and early indicators are helping to change and improve care plans, helping people to stay in their homes longer and to receive the right level of care – based on insights.
In fact, just over half of the observations and care insights we have gathered have resulted in a change to the care plan. A critical point here is that the decisions about changing the care plan are made by care professionals who can understand and interpret the data on behalf of family members. Those changes are made based on evidence that both family and carers have access to. This alone should make the case for Connected Care, but there are further considerations here.
If people are shielding and are isolated, being able to monitor their wellbeing from a distance becomes increasingly important. Lockdown showed us that family members are likely to have a greater level of anxiety about the wellbeing of their loved ones because they cannot visit them as regularly.
In instances where a carer has also been unable to visit an isolated older person, Connected Care can provide a degree of reassurance to everyone and help maintain a connection between the care provider, client and family. With advances in technology sensors can be easy to install avoiding the necessity for an engineer to visit people’s homes. Working with our partner Home Instead Senior Care, we have developed an easy install version of this type of technology.
Connected Care platforms can also allow family members to simply know if everything is OK. The importance of reassurance should not be overlooked. Being able to check an app on your phone and know that your isolated Mum is sleeping well, moving around the home as normal and eating and drinking properly can help ease anxiety. It also means that if you call and check in on a loved one, you won’t be spending time going through a checklist of things to make sure they are looking after themselves properly – you’ll already know.
On a physiological level, you might also argue that lockdown has eased fears about the use of technology in the home. Many older people got familiar with Zoom and Skype calls to stay connected to their families. Taking away those fears about technology can be important when discussing new solutions.
I believe that more than anything, COVID has brought forward the need for care providers to adopt technology solutions. Technology can help us better understand the needs of individuals living alone and support better decision making about their care. Connected Care should be embedded into the normal delivery of care. It is not a replacement for people. It enhances the delivery of care making it more personal than ever by knowing the individual better than ever. At the end of the day, Connected Care can help older people stay well in their own homes for longer, something I think we can all support.
Guest blog by Paul Berney, Anthropos
Anthropos is a connected care platform that enables remote monitoring of older people providing reassurance about their wellbeing. Anthropos currently works with Home Instead Senior Care, UK and other leading homecare providers in offering connected care solutions as part of their service to their clients.
