Pocketalk announces GDPR compliance and Pocketalk Plus
Pocketalk, the global leader in connecting conversations and removing language barriers, today announces GDPR compliance and its new product for healthcare settings the Pocketalk Plus. The announcement comes following the pandemic, which inspired Pocketalk to focus its efforts on connecting patients with their healthcare providers. GDPR compliance Pocketalk is now the first GDPR-compliant handheld translation device and ready to be used in clinical settings, giving caregivers and patients the ability to speak directly and instantaneously. This elevated communication will deepen patient and caregiver rapport, leading to increased satisfaction for both parties, greater comprehension on diagnosis and treatments, and most importantly, lower rates of readmission. The clarity, speed and convenience offered by Pocketalk cannot be replicated by translation lines or interpretive services. These existing systems of translation come with long wait times and can be expensive for healthcare providers. Pocketalk has the ability to dramatically reduce non-medical costs in translation and interpretive services, and offers immediate communication. With a combination of speed and direct communication, Pocketalk minimises scheduling requirements, reduces stress, and ultimately gets patients the care they need to move on to the next phase of treatment. Pocketalk Plus With its launch in 2018, Pocketalk was originally designed as a travel-friendly practical communication tool – but when first responders aboard the Diamond Princess cruise line had to quarantine in Yokohama at the start of the pandemic, Pocketalk took action. It donated devices to enhance communication between first responders and passengers, reducing the interpreters’ exposure to COVID-19. This incident, as well as rapidly increasing cases, inspired Pocketalk to pivot its focus from world travelers to first responders and healthcare workers in multilingual communities. The result was the development of the Pocketalk Plus, a critical tool for medical professionals and first responders, arming them with quick, accurate translations in the field. The Pocketalk Plus boasts a large screen that is readable from 6 feet of distance, a strong speaker and a noise canceling microphone – perfect for healthcare professionals to use in a clinical setting. Other features of the device include: Translations for 82 languages The ability to seamlessly provide audio readout in native language A camera that translates text and written words Built-in data (no need for wifi) Access anytime and anywhere – slipping easily into a lab coat, Pocketalk is completely portable Quick and easy to sanitise – just one swipe of an alcohol wipe and you’re able to move from patient to patient Pocketalk Plus is available now for £349.00 Nori Matsuda, Pocketalk’s CEO, Pocketalk said: “Our mission is now an international one: to remove language barriers and connect all humans through conversations — the ones happening in all sorts of environments: medicine, education, logistics, personal. We’re now speaking in one “common” language — a necessity in a world where, as the past two years have shown us, we share one common biology. We believe that everyone should be able to communicate easily across every corner of the globe which is why we have created these new products to cater to everyone’s needs.” Since Pocketalk launched in 2017, the company has been a leader in the handheld translator market with its Pocketalk Classic and Pocketalk S devices. Pocketalk has connected https://www.pocketalk.com/compare/ people of all backgrounds through language translation and the engine has been honed by over half a billion translations achieving an unparalleled level of speed and accuracy. To date the company has sold nearly one million Pocketalk handheld devices. The Pocketalk products and services are available to purchase on the website. For more information, visit the online newsroom and follow Pocketalk on Instagram and Facebook.
App deployed free of charge to help NHS and wider care sector
With tens of thousands of retired medics asked to return to work and a quarter of a million volunteers needed to help NHS through the coronavirus crisis, OurPeople has developed a free version of its popular team communication platform, specifically for the NHS and wider care sector. Crucially, this will enable dissemination of vital information to teams, without the chatter and noise prevalent through most other workplace engagement platforms and consumer-based Apps. OurPeople Now, which can be deployed within days, will enable managers of frontline services and other care sector workers to send vital comms, including images and files, to doctors, nurses, ancillary staff and care workers, alerting them to critical information and any changes to their working practices. Communication can be targeted, ensuring information is relevant, and will help to keep teams operational and informed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The move comes as Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, announced a new hospital, Nightingale Hospital, will be opened at the ExCel Centre in East London, providing a further 4,000 beds for people struck down with the deadly virus. OurPeople Now is GDPR compliant and company controlled, and allows management and staff to: Instantly communicate to teams in real time Share documents and video files View real-time reporting of when comms are delivered and when they have been read OurPeople has seen a 55% increase in messaging and broadcasts in the past week through the full version of the platform, with existing clients taking advantage of a 95% engagement and read rate by their teams, ensuring they are up to date with relevant information as the COVID-19 situation develops. In light of the pandemic, the team behind the platform has been working 24/7 to develop OurPeople Now, a basic version of the App, to enable businesses to communicate remotely with care staff for free until the crisis passes. Founder and CEO of OurPeople, Ross McCaw, says: “In these unprecedented times it’s more important than ever that we pull together to do whatever we can to help each other. As our specialism has always been communicating to deskless or remote workers, we understand what’s needed to keep these teams running, engaged and informed. One crucial piece of feedback we had for the development of this free App, was to enable managers to communicate without the noise of non vital chatter. For the NHS and businesses and organisations within the care environment we are offering OurPeople Now for free, for the duration of the crisis, to help keep teams running.” OurPeople was founded in 2016 and is already used by well-known brands in the UK and the USA, including Serco, Virgin Active and Paulton’s Park, who send hundreds of thousands of broadcasts to employees on a weekly basis. There is also the ability to communicate by SMS text message with people that don’t own a smartphone. Anyone interested should email hello@ourpeople.com.
The use of mobile devices in healthcare
Mobile devices are becoming an increasingly important tool within healthcare delivery. In fact, 4 out of 5 doctors make use of these devices as part of their everyday work. This has led to the phenomenal growth of Mobile Health, or mHealth, technology which is now projected to hit a global value of €53 billion ($60bn) by 2020. Mobile devices make it easier for medical professionals to access patients’ electronic health records. This is becoming increasingly common, with 43% of doctors admitting to using their mobile devices as the primary screen for accessing patients’ data. This has great implications for productivity as information can be quickly accessed and is far less likely to be lost or mishandled. In fact, 74% of hospitals that use mobile devices to collect information from patients are more efficient than those which don’t. However, with more patient data on mobile devices, the onus is on healthcare professionals to keep these devices safe and secure. If a device gets lost or stolen, very sensitive data may very well find its way into the wrong hands. Mobile health technologies help medical professionals to overcome communication issues. For example, the use of note-taking and communication apps make it very easy to exchange messages and information quickly between relevant parties. This improves information management and facilitates collaborative efforts to ensure a greater quality of care for the patient. Discover more about mHealth Scroll through the infographic below from Home Healthcare Adaptations to find out more about how healthcare professionals are using mobile devices for work. This guide covers some interesting statistics about the rise of mHealth and also includes a break-down of the key benefits and challenges associated with these technologies.
New App to help people live independently for longer
Online health educator, The Sound Doctor, is delighted to announce the development of their new App to help people live independently for longer. The App, aimed particularly at those aged over 70, consists of a library of films created by The Sound Doctor. It includes advice on preventing falls, combatting loneliness and isolation, and managing end of life care. It also offers information, advice and tips on nutrition, hydration, oral health and alcohol. The Sound Doctor aims to create the very best film and audio content available to help people look after themselves better with long term conditions and improve outcomes. There are many issues which really worry older people living at home. Feeling lonely and isolated often leads to other problems including depression. Fear of falling can prevent people from leaving their homes as often as they would like to, and it is easy to get caught up in a spiral of inactivity and dependency. Campaign to End Loneliness states that there are currently 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in the UK and that half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all. Rosie Runciman, Co-Founder of The Sound Doctor said, “The good news is, there is lots of help out there. If older people and their families know what help is available, and can see the potential for altering their lifestyle, there can be dramatic improvements to their quality of life. Our App is a necessary resource that will help with this and is a fantastic project for The Sound Doctor to be involved in.”. The number of people aged 75 or over is expected to double in the next 30 years. A recent report states that depression is the most common mental health problem in this age group. “As we are an ageing society, we need to find ways of living at home longer, but this won’t happen unless we find ways of enjoying life in older age. Health issues affect activities we might have done previously, retirement comes with potential problems of isolation, and we need to find ways of making life work well for us in our later years.” continued Rosie. Many issues can be addressed through understanding both the issues and potential solutions. For older people and their families, education is essential to improving outcomes. The Sound Doctor take great pride in creating films which can really change behaviours and improve outcomes. For more information, visit www.thesounddoctor.org. The Sound Doctor is on the G Cloud 11 Framework.
Care innovations: wearable technology for the elderly
As healthcare improves, life expectancy rises and people are opting to stay at home for longer. Families are having an increased responsibility in the care of their older relatives and many opt for domiciliary care. It is crucial that older people are given as much freedom as possible to live an independent and active life whilst being comforted by the knowledge that help is available as and when they need it – families and carers cannot always be around, but wearable technology can. Wearable technology can give more and more freedom to elderly people and their families to stay independent and active whilst allowing their families, carers and healthcare professionals to be able to monitor their health whilst they are with them – and also remotely. Technology is also being used to improve the care that is being given to older people. According to 24-hour care experts at Helping Hands Home Care “the ability to track and manage home care visits effectively is so important to providing a safe and efficient service”. Technology is certainly changing the way that we are able to care for our elderly relatives, whether it is delaying the time that it takes for them to need more full-time care, the monitoring of certain health aspects or giving family peace of mind. Wearable technology for elderly people In a similar way that we can monitor certain aspects of our health through wearable technology, such as a Fitbit, there is now more and more technology becoming available for elderly people. Here are some of the best and most effective pieces of technology that you might wish to consider to be ensured of their safety and monitor existing health conditions with ease and accuracy: Lively Mobile Plus GreatCall’s Lively Mobile Plus is an excellent option for family members who are worried about their elderly relatives having a fall. As people get older and frailer, the possibility of falling becomes greater and the consequences of falling also become potentially more serious. The Lively Mobile Plus consists of a wearable pendant or clip that is waterproof and connected to agents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can be worn in the shower and by simply pressing a button your loved one can speak to an agent whenever they need to. It is also fitted with a GPS meaning that should your loved one get into trouble when they are out and about, they can easily be found. Users pay a monthly fee for the monitoring services. Alert-1’s Mobile + Home Fall Detection System Another option for those who are mainly concerned about family members having a fall is the Alert-1 Mobile + Home Fall Detection System. There are two systems – a small and light, portable device with fall detection technology, GPS and two-way voice calling. A separate sensor unit can be worn at home giving the portable device time to charge, available either as a pendant or a wristband. If the sensor detects a fall, a call is put through to the Alert-1 call centre, the staff of which can then send help if it is needed. Care Touch Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor Blood pressure is a concern for many older people. The Care Touch Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor is worn as a wristband, battery operated and can give you quick and accurate blood pressure readings. The monitor is much less bulky than other machines and will give the results in a bright and easy to read display – as well as being able to store up to 60 readings. The monitor will also alert the wearer if they have an irregular heartbeat, but it does need to be fitted properly and calibrated to get accurate readings. ActiveProtective Airbag Smart Belt Soon to be hitting the market is the ActiveProtective Airbag Smart Belt. Breaking or fracturing a hip during a fall is unfortunately very common, and the consequences of this can often be even more serious. The Airbag Smart Belt is fit just like any other belt but incorporates technology to detect when a person is falling, triggering the belt to inflate and protecting the hip. It takes the belt 60 milliseconds to inflate and also includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to be able to alert caregivers that someone has fallen. The belt is lightweight and comfortable to wear but offers an extra layer of protection – which is much needed as our loved ones get older and frailer. Although many of us can be reluctant to embrace everything that technology has to throw at us, some technological advancements can be highly beneficial to us. With wearable tech, we cannot only see the quality of life for our loved ones improve, but we can also have more peace of mind ourselves.
Borough Care Launches My Workplace
Borough Care, the largest not-for-profit provider of care for older people in Stockport, has launched My Workplace. My Workplace is a human resource and payroll system that gives Borough Care employees more control over their personal information, time and money. My Workplace enables employees to change personal information, such as their address or emergency contact details, so it is as up-to-date as possible. People can also access their payslips and book time off work. As the system can be accessed via a mobile phone app or computer, it means staff can check information whether they are at home or at work. My Workplace has many benefits for staff, managers and Borough Care as a whole. Staff will be able to check things like how much holiday they have taken, request time off and get their holidays approved quickly. They will also be able to complete return to work forms online after being off sick. Using the time and attendance system, included in My Workplace, managers can more easily analyse their staff costs. Digital rotas can be produced so that normal working hours, overtime and training courses are recorded accurately and paid appropriately. Jayne Hennessey, Head of Human Resources at Borough Care, says: “We’ve introduced My Workplace as it’s important all our employees feel that they have control over their personal information and can access the data wherever they are, particularly for those people who work shifts. The system will allow us to more easily check all employee records, hold important documents on individual files, run reports on staff turnover and ensure people are paid accurately for the hours they’ve worked. My Workplace is one of a number of initiatives we are introducing to continually improve working life for our staff.” Find out more
New launch set to revolutionise care plans
Log my Care, the care software provider, today announces the launch of its new Care Plan and Assessments tool, designed to revolutionise how care plans are created and managed. The new tool is designed to save time, whilst enabling care managers to create individual care plans that meet CQC’s requirements. Unlike other care planning tools, information links through seamlessly from initial pre-assessment, to a full set of care plans for each activity of daily living (ADL), to a full set of risk assessments. For example, if a pre-assessment shows that a person has some difficulties in mobility, straightaway this becomes part of the care plan and the app prompts a full mobility assessment and helps identify risks. This means that care teams quickly build an understanding of what the person can do by themselves and what they need help with – and crucially, informs what practical actions staff need to take on the ground. The care planning tool was developed after research carried out by Log my Care identified several common problems in the care planning process. One of the most frequent complaints was having to enter the same basic information – such as name, date of birth and next of kin – again and again in lots of different places. With Log my Care this information now needs to be entered just once, saving time, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of errors. Another challenge was the lack of specific regulatory guidance about what should go into a care plan. Log my Care have therefore created a full library of assessments to help guide care professionals through the process of identifying the care individual people might need. Care teams also reported that care planning is very time consuming and involves a lot of writing. Log my Care have designed the new module to be intuitive and easy-to-use, with drop-down boxes where possible. Risk scores and levels are calculated as assessments are filled in, removing the need for mental maths, and documents are automatically compiled to build up a one-stop complete care plan. Using the app also means care staff have the care plan at their fingertips, rather than it being locked away in an office. A version history is saved automatically so that there is a record of any changes made to the care plan over time, creating an instant audit trail. Reminders can also be set to make sure reviews are triggered regularly and on time. Alexandra Anton, Care Manager at Carrick House Nursing Home, was one of the Care Managers involved in road-testing the new module and comments: “In the past, we sometimes felt so tied up with the paperwork that it was difficult to focus on what is truly important in a care plan. We said we wanted care plans that are adaptable, and we wanted help to make sure that nothing is missed. That is exactly what we have with Log my Care’s new module. It has already completely changed the way we view and carry out the whole process. Care planning is also taking us a fraction of the time it used to, allowing us so much more time to focus on the people we care for rather than the admin.” Stuart Prince, an independent consultant with over 30 years’ experience in the care sector, advised Log my Care during the development of the new tool and comments: “For a care planning tool to work effectively it needs to be built with the co-operation of people actually working in care. From the very early stages, Log my Care have involved care providers in testing concepts and content, which I think is the right way to go about it. Person-centred planning is an absolute must too, and it is of huge importance that it runs right through the care planning process. It is not easy to do, but Log my Care have got a design that allows that. The person receiving care needs to be key in terms of decision making. With Log my Care’s Care Planning tool, because the process begins with the assessment it means the person is involved fully right from the start – and the plan is about their strengths just as much as about what they need support with.” Sam Hussain, Founder of Log my Care, comments: “The care planning process is vitally important but too many hours are being lost which we see as a terrible waste. Carers told us that they know their time is better spent with people rather than copying and pasting their date of birth across fifty forms. People have put care plans online before but they tend to be static forms, which really isn’t that helpful. Our new care planning tool joins the dots through the whole process, leading to detailed, personalised and practical care plans. This is a step-change in what we can offer the sector.” Log my Care’s core system is free to use and available to download from both the App Store and Google Play, with no need to book a demo appointment or provide credit card or other payment details and no lengthy contracts. The Care Planning and Assessments module is free to all users for 30 days. At the end of the trial period, users can continue with the module for a cost of £40 + VAT per home per month. If at the end of 30 days the user does not wish to continue, their account will automatically be put back on to the standard free core system. To find out more and use the system for free, visit www.logmycare.co.uk/care-plans/.
Care worker develops her own dementia-friendly app
Care worker Heather Mead found there was a lack of apps available to engage people with dementia – so set up her own business and created a dementia-friendly game. Here, she tells Care & Nursing Essentials editor Victoria Galligan about her story and explains how animated racing fish are helping to engage the residents she works with. Heather works in a Bupa care home in Kent, having worked in care for seven years, and said: “The idea came to me on my first day working for the care home. It was having a demonstration of a sensory table mainly designed for children with special needs. The activity ladies and some carers were talking about gaming apps and how there are not that many designed specifically for the elderly or those with dementia that are easy to play. “I started thinking about how to go about developing gaming apps that are specifically for the elderly and those with dementia. As I’m studying a BA Hons in Health and Social Care with the Open University, I reached out to them for advice as to how to go about developing a gaming app – I had no coding abilities so they advised me to contact an app developer.” With the help of Easy Apps Business, and a lengthy conversation about her idea for a set of six games in total, Heather set up as a sole trader under her brand Retro Games. She invested her own money into building, maintaining and marketing the first dementia-friendly app – Retro Fish Game. Dementia-friendly app gets competitive! Heather said: “The app is a colourful fish game. The fish swims across the screen and you have to tap the fish before it gets to the other side. There is a score box and a timer to see how many fish you get in how fast a time you get them in. There are three levels and after the fifth fish the game gets quicker, it has relaxing sea sounds as background music to help a person with dementia to focus on the fish rather than getting agitated from loud background music. “Two Bupa care homes have trialled the game and the results have been good. With residents that have mild dementia, they find the game easy to play and they become quite competitive! They try to get more fish and keep going until they have played all levels. “Some residents find the easy level hard, while others can reach the hard level but often miss the fish. “The game is good in helping with residents’ interaction and conversation with each other, with the activities ladies or with relatives.” As well as boosting engagement and communication, the idea of Retro Fish Game is to: • Challenge the person playing it by exercising the mind • Test reaction times • Stimulate auditory and visual processing by helping the person to recognise patterns • Help improve and maintain cognitive skills (such as attention, perception, memory, logic and reasoning. Heather said her studies had fuelled her drive to improve the lives of people with dementia, adding: “I will be in my third year in October and I have found the course so far very enlightening. It has furthered my knowledge and broadened my perspective of health and social care – especially about ageing and how it should be seen as a lifetime experience, not just for the elderly. “Recreational activities improve the quality of life for an elderly person and those suffering from dementia in a care home or hospital setting. “As the world’s population is living longer, there is a significant gap in the research and development of recreational activities technology for the elderly or those with dementia and how it can help them to engage and be stimulated. Retro Games’ aim is to bridge that gap.” The dementia-friendly app can be found on Google Play (play.google.com) under the category ‘cognitive skills’ as Retro Fish Game, and is coming to Apple soon. The Facebook page and website retro-games-uk.com will tell you more about the game.
CareEase – a care management software from Datamatics
The growing demographics, rise in government expenditure in the healthcare sector, increasing aging population, and the need for quality care is driving the market for care management solutions. Care Homes across USA, UK and other developed countries are fast embracing technology to offer quality care services to their residents. Datamatics CareEase is an evidence-based fully automated care management solution offering real-time monitoring of member’s vital health parameters while increasing your operational efficiency by over 80%. What the fully automated care management software enables: Key features: Connect with us by clicking here or drop an email on dhairya.thanawala@datamatics.com
