Appello joins forces with Wiltshire Council to help older people maintain independence

Wiltshire Council has recently received a funding of £75,000 as part of a national scheme to co-produce tech services with older residents, and we are thrilled to help assist Wiltshire Council along their journey.

This funding is part of the Technology for our Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation (TAPPI) project which aims to improve the way technology is used in housing and care for older people.

Led by the Housing Learning and Improvement Network (Housing LIN), the TEC Services Association (TSA) and funded by The Dunhill Medical Trust, TAPPI seeks to address the opportunity that technology has to enhance the lives of our ageing population and the barriers that prevent its adoption.

To achieve this goal, Wiltshire Council has chosen Housing 21’s Dairy View Court as the extra care housing scheme, where residents and staff will have the opportunity to test different digital devices, apps and systems. They will be able to feedback and make decisions about which digital support services are best to develop for future usage.

Our Smart Living Solutions (SLS) system has been chosen to be installed in Dairy View Court, as part of the digital devices to be tested. Designed for the UK’s digital telecoms infrastructure, SLS is the market leading digital Technology Enabled Care (TEC) suite, proven to enhance safety and wellbeing in individuals’ homes.

As part of the partnership with Wiltshire Council, we will gain feedback from residents on potential developments to our SLS system, which will form part of our ongoing continuous development process.

Alongside our SLS system, we will be developing a ‘Friends and Family’ app, which will be tested by residents in early 2023. This app is being developed to enable friends and family members to be part of the care and support system for their loved ones and allows residents the choice of when they want to receive proactive care, this will ultimately reduce the strain on formal services.

We are looking forward to this project and working alongside Wiltshire Council, Housing 21, National Care Forum and Aquarate.

Cllr Jane Davies, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said: “It is important that older people who need support are given the opportunity to live their lives fully and independently. Harnessing the benefits of modern technology so they can enjoy this independence for longer is going to be a key part of all our plans for the future.  Testing this new technology at one of our extra care homes is an exciting development which will help us understand more of how we can use Technology Enabled Care to help people for the future.  We’re looking forward to working with staff and residents to monitor this innovative project and see the positive impact on everyday lives.”