Telecare solution provides elderly people with improved independence

A new telecare solution has been launched aimed at helping elderly people to remain in their own homes for longer.

SeNCit has been deployed by Dundee City Council and Herefordshire County Council in the houses of three vulnerable older residents as part of a pilot scheme.

In Dundee, it was put into the home of a woman in sheltered accommodation who suffers from her dementia and is at risk of wandering at night. In Herefordshire, the local authority installed it in the home of a former soldier who suffers from epilepsy.

The system alerts relatives or carers when, for example, there is no movement in a person’s home for a certain amount of time, the temperature drops below a certain level, or the front door is opened during set hours.

Inventor, Mark Bates of SeND Technology, said: “Mine and my wife’s parents have illnesses that cause us great concern and as we don’t live near them and we lead busy lives, we wanted to find a way of caring for them without having to consider the care home option just yet. Coming up with the idea for SeNCit has offered great peace of mind.

“If they are still moving around in their home, I know exactly how warm their home is, and I know whether the front door has opened or not, which also helps greatly if they are travelling back home from somewhere as I know that they have got there safely.”