Appello, the UK’s leading provider of digital monitoring, call handling services and digital Technology-Enabled Care Services (TECS) have become an official supporter of the Campaign to End Loneliness.
Since 2011, the Campaign to End Loneliness charity has been set up on the belief that people of all ages who want company should not be without it. The charity constantly shares statistics and findings on loneliness and how it relates to additional physical and mental health.
During COVID-19, the charity found that there was a severe impact on those who lived alone or apart from key people in their lives. One of the biggest challenges faced was ‘bridging the digital divide’. They discovered that 7 out of 10 people were making at least one video call a week, therefore video communication became important to many individuals.
We similarly discovered a high interest in video communication amongst those living and working in supported housing. We experienced a 192% increase in video calling amongst residents living in some of our customers properties. Our Smart Living Solutions suite enabled individuals to utilise the video calling ability to stay in touch with other residents and staff around the development. Video calling was even creatively utilised within developments to maintain games nights that traditionally would have been hosted within a communal lounge.
Tim Barclay, CEO at Appello commented: “We are pleased to register our support for the Campaign to End Loneliness who we feel share similar value and objectives as Appello. We encounter loneliness and social isolation on a day-to-day basis with vulnerable residents who are living alone. Our monitoring team are sometimes the only people they will speak to that day, or even that week.
Therefore, it is so important that we work together to combat loneliness, and we believe that technology has a significant role to play in this challenge.
Our digital technology enables residents to communicate via video with other residents within that development, or with staff. It helps to reduce the feeling of loneliness, whilst staying safe during this difficult time.”
This week marks loneliness awareness week, and we wanted to show our support and make others aware of how we can combat loneliness.
For more information on the Campaign to End Loneliness visit: https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/