By 2040 25% of Scotland’s population will be older than 65. Ministers have already identified the need to adapt services now to meet the increasingly complex needs of older people to allow them to live at home for as long as possible.

In this latest edition of Connected Communities, the ALLIANCE’s Calum Clark speaks with Head of Bield Housing and Care’s Response 24 and Assistive Technology Development to understand how the organisation is using technology to help develop housing and services tailored to Scotland’s older population.

As one of Scotland’s leading providers of housing and care services for older adults, the charity uses new and innovative technology to intervene early and prevent illnesses from happening, whilst coordinating a network of support around every home to put people at the centre.

Gary Baillie, Head of Bield Response 24 (BR24) and Assistive Technology Development, says that this approach is making a significant difference to the lives of many.

“Our integrated approach has delivered significant value with 70% of Bield residents living independently until the end of life thanks to the tailored blend of housing, care, and community support services”, Gary says. “Through early interventions and preventative steps enabled by multi-agency coordination, we have reduced unnecessary hospital admissions, as well as boosting social resilience through our community hubs and local activities.”

The organisation works in partnership with the NHS, local councils, and community groups to develop tailored care plans for every person within their housing developments.

This is enhanced by their award-winning BR24 alarm service, which ensures greater safety and security for residents with disabilities and long-term conditions by providing them with direct contact to their operators, as well as Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs), to support them when they are in need.

“We recently received three prestigious awards for our work to digitally connect communities”, Gary says. “As a result, we’re leading innovative efforts to enhance technology use in housing and care, whilst being the only Scottish provider involved in this UK-wide initiative.”

Bield undertakes research to gain a better understanding of their resident’s digital literacy skills, before going on to identify the barriers to digital inclusion among their staff and residents.

It launched the ‘Bield Tech Hub’ in Linlithgow, which is an interactive space where residents can provide feedback about newly implemented digital tools that support independent living. This involves championing co-production and co-design approaches to ensure decision making is shared and collaborative working is at the heart of their work.

“We co-design solutions with people by working alongside tenants using a co-production approach to shape a new digital design brief and strategy promoting technology-enabled care”, Gary adds. “The champions of our ‘Technology for our Aging Population: Panel for Innovation’ project, Alice and Peter, both work with project managers to test applications and provide feedback, as well as acting as advocates within their communities.”

Moving forward, Bield Housing and Care aims to build on the success of their housing and care support networks by placing a greater emphasis on preventative measures across all of the organisation’s work, whilst advocating for a more integrated approach across all sectors to ensure a truly holistic offering of care and support at home.

“At its core, Bield highlights the vital role that the third sector plays in connecting communities”, Gary says. “By integrating fragmented services around what matters most, we can enable people to live life to the fullest right from the comfort of home.”

 

The views of columnists and people who write other guest insights articles are their own.

This article was originally published as part of the Connected Communities series by the Health and Social Care Alliance (the ALLIANCE).

The original can be accessed here: Innovation in housing and care from within the third sector

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