The Daily Living System is now being used by occupational therapists across the country, providing unbiased evidence of an individual’s progress during reablement.
Comprising small movement, door and activity sensors that send information to secure online charts, the system gives practitioners objective visibility of an individual’s movements around their home. It will show, for example, when an individual completes a task set as part of their reablement; such as making a hot drink or having a shower.
It is this combined visibility of task completion and movement around the home that has led many OTs to say that the system helps them discover important information that may have been difficult to identify without it, especially when an individual doesn’t mention or denies the difficulties they are having.
One recent example of this was in Scotland, when a reablement team installed the Daily Living System into the home of an individual to understand their washing and dressing abilities.
Having entered into the reablement service with a UTI five days previously, Just Checking helped highlight that the individual was going to the toilet very frequently.
Although they told OTs they weren’t visiting the toilet more than usual, the evidence from the system and the fact that the individual appeared slightly confused led the OT to carry out a 4AT delirium screen, which received a score of 8/12. Further discussion revealed the individual had stopped taking their antibiotics due to large hives appearing on their arm.
The OT was able to link with the individual’s senior charge nurse and GP. A urine sample showed a severe UTI, and the individual was put on suitable antibiotics. A week later the 4AT test was repeated, and they scored 0/12, showing no delirium.
“Just Checking highlighted frequent visits to the bathroom, which helped us spot a UTI earlier than we might have otherwise, especially as the individual wasn’t providing information to help us do so. It’s a valuable tool that provides objective evidence that supports practitioners.”
The Daily Living System helps practitioners to spot unusual patterns of activity, which can be a good way to start conversations. It can highlight when an individual is up in the night, when they visit the bathroom or if they are spending a long time in a particular room, which may be unexpected.
This information can be used to open a dialogue around why they may not be sleeping well, why they might be visiting the bathroom frequently or around any other unexpected activity, and can make it easier to understand how their care can be improved.
To find out more about Just Checking and how it can help practitioners find the right questions to ask, please call 01564 785 100 or contact customer support online and we will get back to you shortly.
