The £2,500 digital ‘granny tracker’ that promises to save thousands in care costs
Excited to see this in the Telegraph as we (Rose Regeneration) are helping with evaluation of the pilot. I think it will make a huge difference in rural areas. The article tells us:
A controversial monitoring system aiming to cut care bills by allowing family members to keep elderly relatives under surveillance at all times is to be sold in Britain for the first time.
It costs users £2,860 a year and, in connection with a range of “smart” household devices, can track a person’s exact whereabouts as well as check whether they have stocked their fridge, taken their medicine, or whether they are watching TV or using other appliances.
It can also tell “remote carers” whether the person is standing up or lying down, and transmit details of their pulse.
While traditional monitoring systems, such as Age UK’s personal alarm service, already offer a responsive service if something goes wrong, this new technology – called “Grandcare” – goes much further.
It comes as families and councils are under pressure to cut the mounting costs of care.
Care home fees are rising in some cases by more than 10pc a year. The cost of drop-in carers helping vulnerable people in their own homes is also mounting.
The previous government’s promise of a cap on care costs, which would limit spending to £72,000, has been delayed.
In the meantime, anyone with more than £23,250 in assets, including a home, is liable to pay their own fees.
Some families are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on care, with homes continuing to be sold to meet the bills.
“Grandcare”, marketed by Atel, presents itself as a possible solution to this problem. It is in use in America and is being trialled in Britain. It is expected to be available to families here by February.
A central interface, like a computer screen, receives and processes data from sensors in the elderly person’s home and on their person. Relatives can then check up on the person’s health, whereabouts and wellbeing via their own mobile phone or tablet.
A “tag” – an electronic device which adheres to the person’s arm or ankle – allows the remote carer to check the person’s pulse and whether they are upright.