Taking Care has launched a new telecare device which acts as a preventive measure to help older people to live independently at home.
The device, Taking Care Sense, is designed to help older people live independent lives without compromising on their safety.
Taking Care Sense is a small box that sits in the kitchen and measures changes in atmospheric pressure to track any anomalies in the routine of the user.
Over time, the device learns the person’s behaviour and it learns the time of the day when the person would be in.
Once it’s learned the person’s behaviour, Taking Care Sense can detect if there is any major change in the behaviours’ patterns.
“If you are normally in the kitchen around 8:30am and one morning you are not there for a couple of hours after that time, we would be alerted,” said Steve Gates, managing director at Taking Care.
“At this point our emergency team would ring the house to talk to you. Secondly, we would ring either your family or your neighbours.”
Taking Care Sense
The device is battery powered, with a three-year minimum battery life – meaning there’s nothing to connect or setup – and can be left discreetly on a surface in the kitchen.
Gates said: “The device does not indicate that something bad has happened as it is not a fall detector, but it detects if something has changed, which has thrown you out of your normal pattern.”
With the cost of living rising, older people at risk of fuel poverty may switch their heating off in colder months to save money, putting themselves in danger. The device senses temperature extremes so it can also make family member aware if the use of heating is being reduced.
In a recent YouGov survey, 88 per cent of people thought digital technology should be used in the home to help improve the care of an elderly relative to support them in living independently, at home, for as long as possible.
However, data also revealed that many are wary of monitoring technology such cameras (54 per cent) and microphones (29 per cent) deeming them unacceptable to have installed in the home.
“Integrating AI technology with telecare is a potential game-changer and will be an instrumental part of introducing preventative, unobtrusive care solutions into the homes of vulnerable older people,” said Gates.
“This ground-breaking smart technology can now be used to help safeguard older people and empower them to live more independently at home.
“For many, a personal alarm worn around the neck or wrist isn’t for them for various reasons.
“By gauging small environmental changes, Taking Care Sense can monitor their unique daily patterns and raise a check-in call. Above all, it gives much-needed peace of mind and reassurance for loved ones.”
Taking Care also recently launched Taking Care Prevent, a device that looks like a watch and that can track your activity, your inactivity and your sleep. The device works as a falls-prevention tool as it can show your chances of falling by analysing your patterns and health data.
“Our goal is to move from emergency to prevention,” concluded Gates.
