A report by Dementia UK has found a gap in the care that dementia patients and their families are receiving. 28% of calls to their helpline included complaints about a lack of local support from health services. Telecare Choice aims to provide assistance in these areas. Specifically using telecare equipment for dementia.
Gaps in Dementia Care
In this report, Dementia UK describes the reasons that people are turning to their helpline, including struggles with local health and social services. This is having a huge negative effect on family carers whose mental and physical health often suffer when faced with the difficulties of caring for a dementia patient.
The Admiral Nurses are dealing with queries about the ‘health and social care system, living arrangements, medication, self-care, how to get a diagnosis of dementia, safety issues, eating problems, activities, communication, and finance’ on a daily basis because there is often little support from other sources.
Telecare Equipment for Dementia
Our Telecare equipment can be of great use to dementia patients, their families and carers. If someone with dementia is able to continue living at home safely, our equipment can be a great peace of mind for everyone involved.
So how does our Telecare equipment work?
Pendant Alarms – The user simply wears a small pendant button at all times; either around the neck, wrist or on a belt clip. They also have a small alarm box that plugs into the telephone line. If the user needs help they simply push the button on their pendant alarm and our monitoring centre will use the loudspeaker on the alarm unit to try and find out what the issue is.
Based on the circumstances the monitoring team will decide on the appropriate action and contact to call first. Our monitoring centre will be of comfort if the caller is in any distress and will stay on the line to them until someone can arrive to help.
The pendant can work within a long range, so can also be useful in the garden and the driveway too. It is also waterproof so can be used in the shower; a common place for falls in the elderly.
People with a dementia diagnosis can be vulnerable at home. In an emergency, our Telecare equipment takes away any problems of remembering who to call or where they put their phone book. One button will get them through to our monitoring team almost immediately.
Smoke Detectors – A further addition to our Telecare alarms are our Smoke Detectors which have all of the benefits of a high quality smoke alarm with the added feature of alerting our monitoring centre in the event of a fire. This is a very useful service to those with dementia who may forget to call 999 themselves. This Smoke Detector is linked to the alarm unit along with the pendant so that the monitoring centre can communicate with the user should the fire alarm be activated.
At Telecare Choice, we try to tailor our service to you and your loved ones so if you have any specific requirements we would be happy to discuss them with you.
If you would like more information about the best way to use our Telecare equipment for dementia, please do call us on 0800 635 7000.
Concerned about someone with Dementia?
The Admiral Nursing Direct helpline has extended its opening hours in order to offer more support and ‘help plug the care gap’. The helpline is now open at weekends from 9am – 6pm and from the 3rd May will be extending weekday openings from 9am – 9pm. You will speak to specialist dementia nurses who are their to offer emotional support, answer your questions and give advice tailored to your situation. The helpline is suitable for anyone dealing with dementia as a patient, a carer or a loved one.
Visit the Dementia UK website to view the full report.
