Agamemnon Housing Association, a sheltered housing provider for people over 60, many of whom are part of the veteran community, embarked on a journey to find a digital solution for the analogue to digital telecare switch. After conducting thorough market research and involving stakeholders in the decision-making process, Agamemnon Housing chose Appello’s Smart Living Solutions (SLS) system, which has been installed across 6 of their supported living sites. Carl Dixon, CEO at Agamemnon Housing, recently shared with us the motivations behind this decision, the challenges faced during the transition, the impact on residents and staff, and Agamemnon’s future plans.
“The journey for us started with finding a solution for the analogue to digital switch and determining what this would involve… One of the first things I did when I came to Agamemnon was to act on the fact that we are too small [an organisation] to wait to be told what to do. We had to have a look at what’s out there in the market and make some good, informed decisions.”
– Carl Dixon, CEO, Agamemnon Housing Association
Finding the Right Digital Telecare Solution
Agamemnon Housing recognised the importance of transitioning from analogue to digital telecare and sought a solution that would meet their future needs. The organisation conducted extensive testing and involved tenants, managers, and the board of Directors in the decision-making process. They chose to work with the digital telecare installation team at Orestone to identify the best solution in the market for their needs.
The digital telecare system, Smart Living Solutions from Appello stood out due to its functionality, ease of use, and compatibility with additional peripherals, such as fire prevention systems. Tenants expressed confidence that the system would be fit for the next 10-15 years, making it the best solution for Agamemnon Housing’s residents.
“I brought a panel of tenants, managers and board members together to formulate our plans with a focus on functionality for the future and ease of use. Instead of going to each one of the providers out there, we went straight to an installer with all the different bits of kit. We did lots of testing and everyone went for Smart Living Solutions because the tenants said it’s going to be fit for the future”.
– Carl Dixon, CEO, Agamemnon Housing Association
“Orestone’s commitment to creating cost-effective, choice-led solutions that are integrated and outcome-focused is at the core of our company. Our work with Agamemnon for over two years as their trusted partner in Digital IP emergency call upgrades, dwelling fire detection, and Part one communal fire detection has been a testament to this ethos. Our relationship with Agamemnon, under the leadership of CEO Carl, has grown stronger as we’ve worked closely on their entire portfolio.
The collaboration with House Managers and Agamemnon’s asset and operations teams has been integral to the success of this project. Our joint efforts have been exceptionally productive, largely due to the commitment and dedication of the staff involved. Agamemnon’s forward-thinking approach, particularly their adoption of Appello smart living solutions integrated with connected AICO smoke detection to LD1 standard in line with BS5839-6, reflects a shared vision for the future of assisted living. This project has been a fantastic example of how effective partnerships can lead to significant advancements in the sector.”
– Ryan Mullen, Chief Commercial Officer, Orestone
Agamemnon Housing prioritised addressing the analogue to digital switch, fire prevention, and improving communication and reporting for their team. The Smart Living Solutions’ management application AppelloHQ provides live data, enabling the team to address issues promptly. The dashboard offers clear visibility, replacing the previous use of spreadsheets for reporting, enhancing governance and integrity. The operations manager can quickly identify emergency calls made and potential problems faced by residents, allowing for proactive measures to be taken.
“We’ve got live data now and we can deal with it live. It has supported our integrity and governance. Now the team really get it because they can deal with issues straightaway. It means that my Senior Leadership team can now ask their managers, “what are we doing about this?” and proactively address any issues raised on the dashboard. It enables us to pre-empt and decide what additional work we need to do with a tenant to safeguard them for the future.”
– Carl Dixon, CEO, Agamemnon Housing Association
In addition to supporting the physical wellbeing and safety of residents through a reliable digital emergency call and door entry system, Smart Living Solutions has also enabled improvements in the communication between the residents. Positive stories include residents using the apartment-to-apartment calling feature to arrange social activities like Bingo, allowing for greater communication between residents and helping prevent loneliness and isolation.
“[the residents] like the door entry system and the social aspects like apartment-to-apartment calling. It’s much better and more functional”.
– Carl Dixon, CEO, Agamemnon Housing Association
Navigating Monitoring Challenges
During the installation process, Agamemnon faced the significant challenge of unexpectedly having to change their call monitoring provider to support the move to digital. The previous call monitoring provider was locally based, so many of the staff and residents were well acquainted with the provider after working together for many years. However, Agamemnon decided to switch to Appello’s Careline monitoring service after evaluating the market and finding that Careline would be the most reliable digital monitoring service to support their digital journey.
“We made the decision to change our provider and after looking at the market, it was quite an easy decision to make that we would go with the monitoring provider the kit belongs to, so we also changed over to Careline for our call monitoring”.
– Carl Dixon, CEO, Agamemnon Housing Association
Future Plans for Tech Driven Assisted Living Services
One of the key reasons Agamemnon Housing chose Appello’s Smart Living Solutions system was its potential to introduce additional services. The organisation plans to offer two new packages for tenants. The first package will focus on bricks and mortar management, such as temperature gauges to detect mould, and noise level monitoring. The second package aims to incorporate health-related features, such as fall detectors, motion sensors, and medication alerts. Agamemnon Housing believes that the system’s versatility and ability to integrate with various technologies will benefit all tenants, especially as the population ages and healthcare services evolve.
“One of the things I’m discussing with the board is the changing face of the NHS, which means that more illnesses are managed at home. My priority is about linking housing and health, and looking at different products to help people live a fulfilled life”.
– Carl Dixon, CEO, Agamemnon Housing Association
