Just Checking captures 3 million lives each week

Just Checking now captures more than 3 million activities of daily living every week – its  own ‘3millionlives’.

The ‘3millionlives’ initiative is about transforming service delivery for people with long term conditions or social care needs, by utilising telehealth and telecare within health and social care.  The Department of Health believes that at least three million people with long term conditions or social care needs could benefit from the use of telehealth and telecare services.

Care professionals use Just Checking for assessment and care planning.  People with early dementia usually continue to hold a good daily pattern in the familiarity of their own home, so it is about understanding when and where to target care to best effect.  80% of councils are using Just Checking for assessment.

But the potential impact on families is greater.  Families use Just Checking to keep a gentle eye on their relative, and manage things on a daily basis, sharing arrangements with other family members, friends and paid-for care services,  and being able to see the impact of the ‘caring network’ around the person.  Specific risks can be managed with a combination of services and telecare, and more emphasis put on social interaction.  The result is a person can be supported in their own home where they want to be and where they function best, in many cases to the end of their days.

With 800,000 cases of dementia and a 30% rise predicted over the next 15 years, new, more sustainable ways of managing life with dementia have to develop.

Remote activity monitoring gives families a tool to self-manage the home support for a loved one.  Its’ application is wide.  With a 50% rise in the number of people over 65 years, and 100% rise in people over 85 years by 2030[i], the innovative use of remote monitoring is set to become part of the mix of social care.

Notes

3million lives is an initiative between the Department of Health and industry to encourage the take up of telehealth and telecare. The Department of Health (DH) believes that at least three million people with long term conditions and/or social care needs could benefit from the use of telehealth and telecare services. Implemented effectively as part of a whole system redesign of care, telehealth and telecare can alleviate pressure on long term NHS costs and improve people’s quality of life through better self-care in the home setting.