Getting help

Looking after someone who is ill, disabled or vulnerable can be stressful and physically demanding. Even the strongest and most determined of us can sometimes need technology to take some of the strain. However, the choice of technology available for carers can be confusing.

As well as hoists and stairlifts, homes can also be fitted with sensors that detect a range of everyday problems such as an overflowing bath, a gas ring left on or the person being cared for leaving the home unannounced.

Sensors that detect such incidents are often referred to as telecare schemes and can also be specific to certain conditions. For example, sensors can be placed under the mattress of someone who has epilepsy so that their heart rate can be monitored and alerts sent to a carer, call centre or a mobile phone if they have a seizure.

There is also equipment available that helps your doctor to monitor your health at home. This equipment is known as "telehealth" equipment, and can include blood pressure monitors and blood sugar level detectors that automatically send information to your doctor.

Telecare and telehealth

Telecare and telehealth are being used more and more. They involve installing health monitoring equipment in a patient’s home. The results are then sent daily to a community health team.

Telecare and telehealth aim to cut down on hospital visits or delay the need for someone to go into a care home, and give both the carer and the person being cared for added peace of mind.

The government understands the benefits that telehealth and telecare can bring and has invested £31 million in testing the technology in Cornwall, Kent and parts of London.

Other assisted living aids

The traditional stairlift has been modernised. Stairlifts are now available for both inside and outside a home. There are also stairlifts that allow a person to stand if they have trouble bending their knees.

Such technology can help prevent accidents, cut down on the physical strain of caring and give both the carer and the person being cared for greater independence.

Also available are gadgets such as voice-activated televisions and light switches, and phones with enlarged buttons. These all help to free up a carer’s time.

Some people worry that using technology will replace the traditional role of caring.

“In many cases, there will not be a great reduction in human interaction,” says Carers UK spokeswoman Emily Holzhausen. “Technology has the power to let people be more independent.” This also helps carers spend more quality time with their loved ones.

Cost is another concern. Having stairlifts and sensors fitted in a home is not cheap.

Financial help is there, says Carers UK. Housing associations, councils, health trusts and charities all offer a range of technology for free or at a reduced cost following an assessment of need. The charity recommends that carers get in touch with such organisations locally to find out the best and cheapest options available.

Real lives: Doris' story

Technology can transform lives. Read how one carer is being helped by an innovative telecare scheme in Sunderland.

Read Doris' story here

Or watch the video below to see how one carer gets help by having technology in her daughter's home.