How phone applications are revolutionising the healthcare industry
Phone apps and the internet are some of our best and most favourite tools for figuring out which medical ailment affects us, says health writer Ella Hendrix. Sadly, the information we read is only as reliable as the person writing it, so be advised to take what you read online with a pinch of salt. Yet, more and more men are living longer because they are checking their symptoms online instead of ignoring their symptoms completely. The internet and mobile apps are affecting the healthcare industry in far more ways than most people realise and, in some cases, apps are saving lives. Staying in touch with the right people You may remember the first websites that offered free SMS texts if you didn’t mind giving your phone numbers up to spammers. Then, along came things like Skype and What’s App, and suddenly we have free communication that is lightning fast and more readily accessible than emails, and more disability friendly than phone calls. Such apps are nice for family members who want to stay in touch, and they are revolutionary for people who need intermittent care, from people with dementia who are having off-periods, to people with schizophrenia who need somebody to help walk them safely through an episode. Some of the best ideas are the simplest Apps that tell people when to take their pills are saving lives. These are not sophisticated apps like the ones that are used to check the oxygen content of your blood, they are organiser apps with alarms, but such apps are brilliant because they take the thought, concern, and worry out of taking pills correctly and on time. For example, for women on the pill apps are a convenience tool, for people with HIV they are saving lives. The frustration of forgetting One of the most upsetting sides of dementia that sufferers experience is the frustration it causes because they have to account for the fact they cannot trust themselves. Mobile apps are helping dementia patients ease their frustration with repetitive organising apps where reminders pop up until they are deactivated, so a sufferer of dementia is forced to undertake a task. Dementia carers at Helping Hands state that it’s “a time of utilising mobile technology for daily tasks” and their clients have found that a correctly chosen organiser app can help with various daily prompts, and enables them to regain a little independence and dignity. Do brain training and memory apps work? There are no studies that conclusively prove that such apps work, since people who invest their time in any activity are likely to get better at it – in other words, just because a person can remember a list of different shapes on an app, it doesn’t mean they will remember which items they put on their grocery list. However, there are several tactile apps that are helping people regain hand-eye coordination. There are apps that teach children how to write by having them trace letters, and similarly themed apps are proving very useful for people trying to regain full use of their hands and fingers after a stroke. Plus, many tailor-made apps will chart a sufferer’s progress so that doctors may spend less time performing manual one-on-one tests. Saving money in the healthcare industry Having a programmer create a set of customised apps is easier than ever these days, and it is helping to save money in some areas of healthcare. The combination of stock databases and the easy dissemination of information through apps has helped streamline the supply chain in the pharmaceutical industry, and it has made legally-required due-diligence check-ups far easier (e.g. missing items are more quickly identified). There are also apps that test a patients timing, reflexes, auditory, visual and presumptive responses, which means doctors, specialists and nurses do not have to invest as much one-on-one time with patients in order to check their progress. Conclusion – is technology a mixed bag? There are downsides to new technology, such as the mess the Canadian’s socialised healthcare program has suffered because technology was ineptly integrated (both eHealth and its predecessor Smart Systems), yet in the UK there is an NHS system that embraces the Internet, intranets, and apps, and the NHS is doing just fine, (though the UK is 41x smaller Canada, which probably makes a difference). The business world has also proved that a reliance on apps can somebody be foolish. For example, a number of businesses have commissioned their own apps to help run every aspect of their business, and then failed because staff members simply didn’t commit to using the apps, or staff members cheated and enter whatever data makes them look good. Simple ideas and simple apps are literally saving lives thanks to people taking their pills on time and patients being able to access carers quickly and around the clock, yet we should always temper our enthusiasm with the knowledge that time-tested methods lasted such a long time for good reason (i.e. new isn’t always better).
Web-based portal Lifepsychol monitors patients’ quality of life
Chroma, the UK’s leading national provider of arts therapy services, is to pilot Lifepsychol, an innovative new patient-driven system that could ultimately help up to 14 million people in the UK living with long-term or life-threatening conditions who wish to optimise their quality of life. Giving users back control of their care, the easy-to-use web-based portal monitors real-time patient-self-reported quality of life indicators. Measuring 12 essential areas that have the biggest impact on how patients view their rehabilitation and recovery, Lifepsychol helps clinicians and next of kin track their loved one’s levels of: Developed by Innervate Ltd, Chroma will trial the system with clients coming through their new Chroma Case Management (CCM) service. CCM is a brain injury case management service which uses bespoke therapy programmes and digital healthcare innovations to enable patients return to normal life and work following a brain injury. Lifepsychol enables users to record how their quality of life is changing whilst living with a long-term, chronic condition. The system also enables clinicians and case managers to review progress between consultations, so giving a fuller picture of the impact of the treatment users receive. Daniel Thomas, joint Managing Director of Chroma, said: “Having tested Lifepsychol internally over the last few months, we’ve seen the huge potential the system can offer patients, therapists and our case managers.” “Lifepsychol places the individual at the heart of quality of life assessment and encourages healthcare professionals to focus on the impact of the symptoms on a person’s life, rather than just focus on the symptoms.” Used daily, Lifepsychol is a quick and visual approach that shows how actions taken, either by the user or professional, can change a person’s quality of life. Users are more involved and therefore more encouraged to become a partner in the management of their long-term condition. Additionally, it means a more holistic approach to treatment.” Dr Neil Bindemann of Innervate Ltd, who developed Lifepsychol, added: “The Government has recognised that improving the quality of life of people with long-term conditions is a key outcome for an effective healthcare service. However, our own extensive research identified that existing quality of life measures do not properly assess the impact of a condition on issues that patients often wish to discuss. “Evidence from over 600 people, which help develop the 12 issues monitored, also provided further evidence that quality of life assessment needed to take a more personalised approach. Our system helps health professionals to engage in a more meaningful way, making health care more responsive to the quality of life needs and wishes of patients as well as encourages better, communication between healthcare professionals and patients.” Lifepsychol provides a simple way for a service to assess whether it is improving the quality of life of people with long-term conditions, on an individual and population basis. It is presently a web-based system, but a mobile version with the ability to set up alerts will soon be launched. For more information on Lifepsychol, see the website.
Using technology to connect
Alive has been using touchscreen technology to enrich the lives of older people in care settings for almost a decade since its inception. We use touchscreen devices during our meaningful activity sessions in a multitude of ways, allowing us to respond in the moment to the needs, interests and wishes of individuals. Touchscreen devices can place the whole world at our fingertips. We use them to explore people’s life stories – finding pictures, films or facts that can transport people back to their happiest memories. We create music together by using the latest sensory music apps such as ‘Bloom’ or ‘Midnight’ as stimulation for people living with dementia. Spontaneous internet searches allow us to explore, discover and share music from any decade or country. Touchscreen devices can also be connected to a TV or projector, for an interactive group experience. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that using technology can bring many benefits for older people, including those living with dementia, such as increased cognitive and physical activity, social interaction and learning new skills. Alive met one man who said he was going to buy his own games console so he could play against his grandchildren when they came to visit! It’s easy to set up technology in most care settings. The majority already have large TVs in communal areas, so they are generally equipped with a good space to use. It’s simple to plug a touchscreen device into a TV using an adaptor and HDMI cable and the TV is a familiar focal point to captivate a group. Alive has many amazing examples of how technology can be used to open up life again for older people. A particular favourite comes from a reminiscence session where we were discussing love and marriage. One resident was originally from South Africa and we were able to find a picture looking down the aisle of the church in Durban where she was married almost 60 years previously. At that moment she was transported back to the happiest day of her life and it was a privilege for everyone in the room to share the memory with her. So, how can you get started using technology with older people? Buy a new or refurbished touchscreen tablet and explore! You can also book onto the Alive ‘iPads and older people’ training course and we will empower you with all the knowledge you need to you enrich the lives of the people you care for. For more information about Alive and to book training please visit www.aliveactivities.org/ Info@aliveactiviities.org Follow Alive on Facebook and Twitter @Aliveactivities
Could Carer Technology Help Battle Elderly Loneliness?
The government recently announced that it would be launching the first ever loneliness strategy, aiming to empower all GPs in England to be able to refer patients suffering from loneliness to community activities and voluntary services by 2023, but how can impacts be made in the meantime? Loneliness can affect any individual of any age, but with 3.6million of the elderly living by themselves and 1.9million saying they often feel alone or invisible, it’s particularly an issue for those in later life. People can become socially isolated for many reasons but those with mobility issues or other health conditions are often unable to engage with many activities outside of their home, and with families now regularly separated by great distances, any social time with others is highly valued. Carers can play a key part in reducing feelings of loneliness, but only if they are given the right tools to tackle the problem. The implementation of technology can help carers to give better care and increase the face-to-face time with their client. The amount of paperwork required to record any visits means that currently carers can spend the majority of their time filling out forms, but if this process was digitally transformed, less time would be spent on admin and more on the client. If carers used an app that combined a simple user interface with voice recognition, then this admin burden would be reduced and the information more detailed as it would be easier for carers to record more personal patient information such as a mood or extra activities. This more in-depth report can then be shared with the families of the individual to help alleviate any worries over whether their loved one has been visited and cared for while also letting them know what that individual has been doing. This means that when they pick up the phone or come to visit, family members will already have things to talk about and feel more connected to one another, helping individuals to feel less isolated and alone. As well as allowing the regular carer to spend more time with the client, this system also allows other carers to access the information and provide more personalised care experiences, should they happen to be assigned to that individual for the day. Introducing a non-intrusive system of IoT based sensors alongside the app can also help to provide a better care experience. Sensors can make the delivery of 24/7 care possible by tracking habitual behaviour and spotting changes in real time. This technology then facilitates carers to confidently monitor how well their client is doing at home, and organise their visits more effectively. As a result of this carers can ask more well-informed lifestyle questions and identify any problems faster. It’s not always possible for the elderly to go out and make new connections, so the connections they do have are vital. In order to minimise the levels of loneliness felt by clients and loved ones, carers and families need to find ways to ensure not only that more time is spent with the individual but that they feel they are connected to others and vice versa. Loneliness is a complex issue to solve but little changes could make a big difference.
How the elderly can benefit from using technology in relation to health?
In the UK, it’s estimated that around 45 million people use or own a smartphone. With most smartphone owners aged between 14 and 60, a large proportion of the elderly population are left behind when it comes to smart technology. In this article, we’ll take a look at the different ways the over 65’s can embrace smart technology to help their health. As people get older, it’s inevitable that they have to visit medical professionals more frequently. Due to mobility issues, many elderly people find it challenging to access doctors surgeries and clinics. However, using technology in the form of an app on a smartphone, tablet or device, a feasible solution can be used to significantly aid this habitual problem. Apps such as Push Doctor, or the NHS’s version, ‘GPathand’, allows you to book and undergo the appointment with your doctor or GP straight from your internet connected device. Online pharmacies are also a useful tool for this problem as patients, after receiving an online consultation with a doctor, can have their repeat prescriptions delivered right to their door. By using technology, the elderly population can regularly access the top healthcare, without having to worry about mobility issues. Wearable technologies can also be used to benefit the health of the elderly. Wearable technologies – most commonly in the form of a watch – are a category of devices that can track certain pieces of data, while being worn on the body of a person. The majority of the time, wearable technologies are used to track and monitor the health of the person wearing them. Wearable technology products such as the FitBit and other watches can collect data on heart rate, blood pressure, and the amount of exercise done in a day. Other smartwatch manufacturers have also created products that can aid people with medical conditions such as dementia – for instance, take Safelink’s smartwatch with it’s wearable GPS tracker, that alerts up to three smartphones when any unusual behaviour is detected. Initially, some elderly people may struggle to use some of the items listed above, however, there are plenty of resources out there to help them grow accustomed to their new found technological friend. Take a look at this guide on Age Action, or alternatively, seek out services like Barclays digital eagles, that can help anyone become confident in using technology.
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