Although Enid sustained just a little bruising she went to her GP for a check-up. The nurse there suggested she look at tecs. Enid and her settled on a wrist worn fall sensor. This detects if she’s fallen and contacts the monitoring centre. They call Enid once they’ve had an alert and check she’s ok – if she’s not, or she doesn’t respond they send someone to help her.

She found the rental process and installation was all very quick and easy and she was kept updated throughout the process.

Enid wears her wrist device all the time and when asked whether she is worried about any stigma attached to it says “there is no shame in it, people wear those bands to support charities, why not wear a band to support yourself. I love the security of it, it’s literally a lifeline”.

Carole doesn’t think her mum would be able to carry on her beloved hobby of gardening if she didn’t have the fall detector: “I wouldn’t want her going out in the garden on her own without it, Mum says that it’s like having someone with her all the time – but without having to feed them!”

One of Mabel's friends had an emergency pendant which she wore around her neck with a button she could press should she need some help. She suggested something like this might be of use to her friend.

Mabel made an appointment for an NRS Healthcare Occupational Therapist to visit her and she was advised a pendant might make her feel more confident.

Six months after her Lifeline had been installed, we asked Mabel what a difference it had made to her life. She said she “wouldn’t be without it” and “it’s a comfort to know that help is just a push button away”.

After some research Maureens’ family contacted NRS Healthcare and went through a telephone assessment of their needs with a trained Occupational Therapist. The Occupational Therapist recommended a base unit connected to the telephone line and a pendant, which Maureen can use to talk to the contact centre if she needs help.

A driver technician from NRS installed the products for Maureen. He also suggested to her family that a key safe might be a good idea in case they were out and the emergency services needed to gain entry to go to their mum's aid.

Two months after the products were installed we contacted Maureen and her family to ask how things were going.

Maureen's daughter said, “it’s saved me 10 hours a week, as I feel confident that I don’t need to come home at lunch to check on mum” and her mum added “it’s given me peace of mind that I can call from help by pressing my pendant which is always with me”

Olivia was referred to an NRS Occupational Therapist who suggested a lifeline unit with a connected pendant and fall detector would be most suitable, along with the installation of a key safe.

NRS Healthcare arranged the delivery and installation of the products and the driver technician made sure Olivia was comfortable and confident about how to use them.

Now if Olivia feels unwell she can press her pendant alarm and a call is automatically triggered to the emergency call centre who can make sure that the correct people are notified. Similarly, if Olivia falls or blacks out a call is made and the operator can arrange for the emergency services to attend and gain access from the key safe.

Unfortunately, Olivia has fallen twice since the technology enabled care was installed. Although her first fall was quite serious, Olivia could press her pendant. Help arrived quickly and appropriate medical treatment was delivered, which prevented her from having to go to hospital.

Olivia says “I am very grateful that I am to continue living independently in my own home” and her family say they are “thankful for the peace of mind” afforded to them by knowing should anything happen, they or the emergency services, can be alerted immediately.

The unpredictability of Moira’s condition means she cannot live independently as someone must always be on hand to help her.

One of Moira’s care team referred her to our local Technology Enabled Care (TEC) team. One of our TEC Occupational Therapists visited Moira in her home and discussed her current situation and what changes she would like help to make. Moira’s main aim was to live more independently.

Our TEC Occupational Therapist discussed the options for different types of equipment and how each of them could help Moira.

They decided on a combination including a wrist worn device which would detect if Moira had fallen. This can alert a carer if they are near, or can put a call through to a contact centre who can call a carer or family member, or if required the emergency services.

This simple piece of equipment has changed Moira’s life. She’s now able to spend more time without one to one supervision and can pursue several hobbies. She and her carers are more relaxed, improving wellbeing, as they all know should something happen, they will be alerted as necessary.

The NRS Healthcare Occupational Therapist will be back to visit in a couple of weeks. Moira is hoping her confidence will have increased enough to start cooking. If so we’ll fit heat and smoke detectors to keep her safe should something happen whilst she’s cooking dinner.

Moira’s story illustrates that a conversation based around her desires and a small piece of equipment can allow people to start living the lives they want to live.

Following an assessment by our Occupational Therapist and conversations with Mr Jones and his support team a plan and equipment were agreed on. Mr Jones was given a standard lifeline and pendant to allow him to call for assistance whilst he was getting back on his feet. It was agreed a robotic cat may help reduce anxiety and increase his serotonin levels, which can help regulate mood and social behaviour as well as appetite, digestion, sleep and memory.

Initially Mr Jones used his pendant daily, without need for any instance. He was supported by us and his support team to engage with his cat and over a period of a month his mood improved and he was eating and caring for himself much better.

The lifeline was removed once Mr Jones was back on his feet but he asked to keep the cat due to the benefits he had experienced.

Robotic cats are now commonly being used in private and care homes, often but not exclusively, to help those with dementia. The cats have motion and touch sensors that trigger sounds and movements like a real cat. Studies have shown that for those people who choose to engage with robotic pets a range of benefits can be seen. Some of these are around stimulating conversations or triggering memories of their own pets or past experiences. The joy of having something to care for was a strong finding across many of the studies.

During her assessment with the Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Occupational Therapist, Alice said one of the most important activities before her stroke was her daily contact with her twin sister and she would love to be able to do that again.

Our TEC team worked with Alice, her care team and the staff at her Extra Care facility to introduce a system called Ethel.

Ethel is an “always on” large touch screen device allowing people to stay in touch with family and carers, requiring little or no computer experience.

A plan was written with the input of Alice and her care team in using the functions offered by Ethel to help Alice contact her twin sister daily.

During the 4-week trial period Alice’s use of Ethel was monitored and her care team said the equipment not only allowed Alice to contact her sister, but other members of her family and even watch the services at her local church.

Between this call and the one to schedule an appointment to deliver and install a new lifeline, our team were informed that Mr W had been admitted to hospital. Gavin, one of our customer service team arranged for a technician to visit Mr W at the time of discharge so he could feel reassured by having a working lifeline whilst recuperating.

On the day of his expected discharge the customer service team were advised Mr W had been discharged earlier than intended, was already at home and unable to get out of his chair. Gavin called Mr W to check and reassure him NRS had managed to move the technician’s appointments so someone would be with him as soon as possible.

Mr W was quite distressed and very concerned that no carers had been to see him as promised. Gavin spent the time to reassure him and talked with him until Mr W was feeling less distressed, and confident someone was on their way to help him.

During the technicians visit where he reinstalled the lifeline, he managed to find the details of Mr W’s care package which was reported to Gavin. Gavin subsequently spoke to the County Council, made sure they were aware of Mr W’s discharge and present situation, and ensure a carer would be with Mr W shortly.

This case study shows it’s not only the equipment which helps reassure service users, but also the compassion, understanding and reactiveness of the NRS Healthcare TEC.

Mrs LB was treated for her injuries in hospital, and once discharged her family wanted her to move into a permanent residential care home so she was never alone. Mrs LB did not want to leave her home and although she understood her family’s reasoning the prospect was causing her great distress.

Following a thorough assessment of Mrs LB, her home environment and the family’s main concerns, we offered a tailored Technology Enabled Care solution. Equipment included a Lifeline with a falls detector, a bed sensor with a 30-minute absence alert as well as smoke and Co2 detectors.

Mrs LB’s family now feel reassured that she is safe to stay at home and no longer feel anxious each night wondering if she is ok or that something may have happened. Mrs LB is also pleased that as well as her family no longer worrying about her, she feels safe at home and can remain independent.

Our local TECS team carried out a thorough assessment to ensure all elements were addressed and risks prevented. We provided Mrs H with a Rosebud clock and a Pivotell. This meant that Mrs H would be prompted to take her medication and only took the proper amount through the automatic Pivotell medication dispenser.

As a result, Mrs H’s daughter is not as anxious about her mother’s health and does not have to visit so much to get peace of mind. Additionally, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, fewer visits means a reduced risk to catching the virus. Mrs H is not taking her medication correctly and on time, and appears in a better mood.

Following an in-depth assessment to understand her needs, we provided Mrs G with an Ownfone Footprint which is a wearable personal GPS location pendant. Rather than wear the pendant around her neck Mrs G attached the Footprint to her walker, which was always with her.

Mrs G is extremely happy with the Footprint and has said it has given her more confidence around her home, stating that is the perfect solution to her given situation.

Mr & Mrs G have an active social life. They like to go out for the day (most days) on the bus and have lunch out. They have recently started getting lost, which has become very distressing for them both. Mrs G also recently fell down the stairs at 3am, she said that she didn’t want to turn the light on and disturb her husband. Mrs G remained at the bottom of the stairs until her husband found her at 8am.

The Solution

Having received the referral and assessing Mr & Mrs G’s situation and need, NRS installed a number of Assistive Technology devices to help them:

• Motion Sensor lights were fitted to light the way if either of them got up in the night, without them having to switch on the main lights and disturb the other.
• A lifeline pendant was supplied so they could call for help if they fall
• A GPS locator was supplied to help if they get lost when going out
• A reminder clock was fitted and set to remind them twice a day to take their medication

Based on the referral information and assessment, this support will delay Mr & Mrs Gs admission to a Care Home for some months, and will also reduce the need for a Domiciliary Care visit twice a day to remind them to take medication

The Result

Mr & Mrs G have told us that they are so happy with the equipment, as is their niece. They felt their lives were over before all the Assistive Technology was put in place in place

She has poor mobility, is very weak and as a result of these issues has carers who visit her twice daily.

Mrs L uses the toilet at night, but doesn’t switch on the main lights as they cause her to become disoriented and fall.

The Assistive Technology solution

Following referral to NRS, we assessed Mrs L’s needs and installed motion sensor lights between her bedroom and bathroom, a wrist worn fall detector and a base unit to connect her to our monitoring centre.

The results

Mrs L feels the equipment has saved her life, within 4 weeks of having it installed.

Since the equipment has been installed Mrs L has fallen. The fall happened just after the morning carers left and she was bleeding heavily. Without having the tecs Mrs L said she would not have been able to call for help and would have continuously bled. She feels she would not have survived until the evening carer visit.

She also said the motion sensor lights in the hallway are very helpful during the night and have probably prevented her from falling again.