Technology Enabled Care

There are several community alarm services in Cambridgeshire (sometimes referred to as Lifeline/Life Line). A community alarm is a pendant alarm in your home which, when pressed, contacts a response centre to notify the service that you need help. A community alarm service can contact the emergency services and arrange for a GP, district nurse, next of kin, or named key holder to visit or help you. Some providers also offer a key safe so that trusted people can access your home in an emergency.

Please be aware that Cambridgeshire County Council's Lifeline Service is temporarily closed to new referrals due to unprecedented demand at this time. We appreciate that this may be worrying news, but we would like to reassure you that there are other local and national providers offering a similar service available at this time.

Whilst we are not accepting referrals for our lifeline service, we will continue to provide Technology Enabled Care Services. Once you have arranged an alternative lifeline service, if you require additional equipment/telecare peripherals, please send us a referral with your needs.

Please note that some providers may charge for us to add additional telecare peripherals and may not have the Enhanced Response Service (ERS) provided by Cambridgeshire County Council available (see below). You will need to clarify this with them.

Thank you for your understanding at this time. If you require any more information, please do request support from the TECS Team, details below. We can provide a list of alternative providers, but please note that we are not able to recommend their services.

If you have a community alarm or lifeline, you can benefit from non emergency support from the Enhanced Response Service.

The Enhanced Response Service (ERS) provides peace of mind when you have a telecare community alarm or lifeline installed. The ERS responds to telecare alerts and people who need non-emergency assistance, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The target response time is 60 minutes.

The ERS is not an emergency service, nor are they clinical or medical responders. The ERS is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide social care activities, and offers a response similar to a good neighbour or family member.

The ERS can:

• provide assistance to get a person up from the floor following a fall
• provide personal care that is needed in an urgent and unplanned circumstance, i.e. not part of a regular care package
• provide reassurance following an incident at home

The ERS can act as an alternative or additional responder when:

• usual key holders are not available, non-contactable
• where a suitable person cannot be identified
• the usual care holder is unable to complete the care that is needed

This service is for existing community alarm or lifeline holders.

Email: enhanced.responseservices@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

There are different ways to remind people to take their medicine. It is best to use existing systems before trying new ones. This could mean:

• using the calendar on a mobile phone
• using an existing smart home assistant
• downloading an app which prompts you to take medication
• using a multi alarm wrist watch or clock

If these do not work, we would discuss the use of an automated dosset box. Alarms can be added to the box raise alerts if medication is not taken.

If you are struggling to manage a complicated medication regime, speak to your GP or pharmacist. They can review your medication with you.

Seizure activity is often complex but certain types of seizure can be detected electronically via combinations of continuous movements, noise and in some cases pulse rate change. Detectors are usually used overnight under the mattress of your bed but there are alternative options which you can wear. Alerts can be raised via a pager or a smart device.

If you have a cognitive impairment, door alarms can help to ensure your safety by notifying someone else if you go through a door. Alarms can be applied to internal or external doors and can provide reassurance for family members.

These can assess how you are managing at home by looking at your activity levels around the property over a period of time. With this information we can support you and your carers to make informed decisions about support options to maximise independence where possible.

Just Checking uses small motion detectors to check on the movements and activity of a person. Find out more about Just Checking.

You can wear these devices alongside a community alarm pendant. They can detect a series of events such as an impact, a change of height and acceleration. Using this information the falls detector can raise an alert independently of the wearer to indicate that there may have been a fall.

If you have a fall you will be able to get help more quickly. Having these devices can help you to feel more confident when walking around your home and can provide peace of mind to family members.  For overnight we may also suggest a bed sensor in addition, or instead of, a falls detector. This will raise an alert if you do not go to bed or are out of bed during the night for an unusual period of time which might indicate a problem.

TECS interventions can support informal carers. by reducing anxieties about how another person is managing or ensuring that they are safe and managing themselves.

We’ve teamed up with Carers UK to give carers in our area access to a wide range of digital tools and essential resources that may help make their caring situation easier.

 Create an account at the Carers UK website using the free access code: DGTL3385 .

This includes smoke, flood or gas detectors to raise alerts remotely when activated. Other solutions include panic buttons, smart doorbells.

The TECS team can loan a variety of devices to help with daily living. For example picture clocks which offer visual and audible cues to a variety of daily tasks such as eating, drinking and taking medication. More recently we have started loaning flashing drink prompts. Dehydration  can make people very unwell. 

An Assistive Technology flat, designed to showcase how the latest technology can support independent living, is at Kingfisher Court, Peterborough.

The equipment is fully operational from voice-activated bed sensors to property exit sensors and medication reminders. The Lifeline personal alarm system is also live so you can see how the control centre responds to calls.

For more information please email TECS@cambridgeshire.gov.uk