Hi-Tech care for the elderly won't exclude human contact

1 March 2007

CARE of the elderly in the borough is set to be revolutionised after the much-debated Telecare scheme was given the go-ahead by Doncaster Council.

Mayor Martin Winter welcomed the introduction of the futuristic system of sensors and alarms aimed at increasing the number of pensioners living at home safely - although he admitted to his cabinet he was "slightly nervous" the project would pre-empt the publication of the Mayoral White Paper on Older People later this year.

And he added that the introduction of Telecare to the town, an initiative backed by a Preventative Technology Grant (PTG) from the government worth £467,000 over the next two years and expected to be up and running by June this year, marked the beginning of major change in the way the elderly in Doncaster receive care.

Mr Winter described the introduction of cutting-edge technology capable of detecting floods, falls and burglaries as "a move into 21st century living".

"While we have piloted this, people have been very supportive," he added. "The challenge for us in the White paper is not to create a battery farm environment. We need to balance out face to face contact with 24/7 electronic support."

Aimed at approximately 350 people in the first year, the scheme will initially target people identified as most at risk, including dementia sufferers and those with long term conditions, where evidence shows that Telecare can have a beneficial effect on them and their carers.

Work on upgrading software at a central control centre is expected to be completed later this month, while mobile wardens will be charged with the responsibility of fitting the new equipment.