Assistive Technology and Telecare

Assistive technology and Telecare enables people to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives. Assistive technology and Telecare reduces the need for formal health and support services, long-term care and the work of caregivers. Assistive technology and Telecare devices are basically helpful products that improve or maintain a person's ability to live and function independently. Some Assistive technology can be as simple as a life line pendent.

The service is available to anyone over the age of 18 with illness, sight or hearing loss or a physical or learning disability. It is also useful for people in the early stages of dementia, at high risk of falling or having just come out of hospital. It is of particular value to those living alone who wish to remain living independently in their own home.

Assistive technology and Telecare can be provided:

1. As part of a Reablement service; or
2. To support hospital discharges; or
3. Alongside services to meet on ongoing care and support needs; or
4. Independent from all of the above.

It is available to people who live in:

1. Their own home;
2. Rented accommodation (including Local Authority accommodation);
3. Supported living;
4. Extra Care;
5. Shared lives placements.

If a person lives in residential or nursing care assistive technology and Telecare is normally the responsibility of the provider to assess and arrange.

The best source of information and advice is on the Your Support Your Choice website pages.

See: Assistive Technology and Local Offer.

Information and advice can also be obtained from the Aids and Adaptations Team on 01254 269220.

The council currently supplies a free service for service users where Assistive technology or Telecare has been deemed the most appropriate and proportionate way to meet an eligible need.

If a person’s needs are not assessed as eligible, or if Assistive technology or Telecare is not deemed an appropriate or proportionate way of meeting their needs, they may still be able to purchase equipment privately. This would be at full cost to themselves.

If the person has an existing (or developing) Care and Support Plan any assistive technology or Telecare that is provided to meet on-going needs must be recorded in the plan.

Assistive technology and Telecare should not be provided until an appropriate and proportionate assessment of need has been carried out.

Any social care practitioner can assess the need for assistive technology and Telecare as part of a needs assessment if they are confident to do so.

Assistive technology and Telecare must be found to be an appropriate and proportionate way of meeting needs as part of the Care and Support Planning process.

Following assessment, a referral to the Telecare service should be made.

If a person’s needs are not assessed as eligible, or if Assistive technology or Telecare is not deemed an appropriate or proportionate way of meeting their needs, they may still be able to purchase equipment privately. Anyone wishing to do this can be signposted to the Aids and Adaptations Team for information and advice about doing so.

Tel: 01254 269220.

Following assessment, the referral to the Telecare service provider should be made in line with local processes and requirements.

The referral form should document the equipment required, key holder, response details or requirements.

The Telecare service will encourage and facilitate all users to have a Key Safe so that responders can gain access to the property quickly in an emergency, and to make sure that the property is not damaged and capable of being secured after the emergency has been attended to.

The Telecare service shall ensure that any faulty equipment which has been installed in the home of a user is promptly replaced so that any disruption to the provision of the services to that user is minimised.

The equipment remains the property of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and is provided on loan. Removal of the equipment should take place at a time agreed with the user.

The Telecare service shall ensure that it has all the of the tools and the materials that it needs to remove the equipment and shall remove all of its tools and materials from the user’s home and leave the user’s home clean, tidy and in as good a condition as it was prior to the removal of the equipment.

Note: If a review has determined that assistive technology or Telecare equipment is no longer required these arrangements should only be made when any alternative provision to meet needs is in place.