23 Nov 2020
TECH the missing piece
The challenges that COVID-19 has brought, the new 2023 deadline to move from analogue to digital care call systems, increased use of smart assets and the need to consider alternative models of care and support have all contributed to a new impetus to use digital opportunities to provide services.
Technology Enabled Care in Housing (TECH), is a two year Scottish Government funded programme, aimed at doing just that!
TECH is working closely with social landlords, government, third sector and academia to promote more integrated approaches to the use of digital technology for health, care and wellbeing and to provide greater levels of support to the housing sector.
In recent months TECH has played a key role in opening the door to funding opportunities that had not previously been available to the housing sector. It has also been supporting the TECH network, aka the TECH community, so that housing providers can come together to hear about the latest developments in this field, access subject matter experts and share ideas, learning, challenges and resources.
At TECH, though committed to digital, we are very clear that technology is not the solution – rather it is a very important enabler. For example, the Housing and Dementia Framework was relaunched earlier this month. Technology can be a vehicle to supporting people’s safety both in and out of their homes, help co-ordinate informal and formal carers, get help in an emergency including if someone with Dementia were to go missing, access meaningful activities etc. The TECH programme has a repository of pre-prepared tenant facing articles including some on Dementia, that housing providers can include in their newsletters /websites to signpost their tenants to appropriate resources. We also have TECH Toolkit training sessions underway. These are designed for Digital Participation officers and share information about trusted resources, the conversations needed and how to identify potential solutions.
Fundamental to TECH is the TECH Charter a set of seven pledges designed to support good practice and a holistic approach to the development, further embedding and upscaling of the use of digital to support health, care and wellbeing in housing settings. You can find out more about the charter on the TECH website or by emailing me Gbegg@sfha.co.uk
Another great way to hear more about what is happening with digital health and care is at Digifest 2020 which will be held (virtually) from 1 – 11 December. Digifest is for health, housing and care professionals. This year’s packed programme includes sessions exploring the progress to Digital Telecare, how we might reimagine Telecare into a more anticipatory approach that improves the citizen experience of telecare services and examining the potential that there for prevention when housing is seen as an equal partner.
You can view the full programme, register for the festival and attend any session once the event is live by using the registration link below.
