The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 2 (Apr 2014) | Page 52
Using mHealth to Support Ageing Populations
Continued from page 49
reduce mortality, reducing the need for
admissions to hospital, lowering the
number of bed days spent in hospital
and reducing time spent in A&E, with
clear gains in terms of service and cost
effectiveness.
Opportunities for Families and
Carers
Technology presents huge opportunities for families, particularly as demographic shifts result in childcare, work
and eldercare overlapping for greater
numbers of families and a rapidly rising
number of carers take on more intensive caring responsibilities.
Across the trends in carer demographics, from rapidly rising numbers of
older carers, pressured ‘sandwich generation’ families and even greater numbers juggling work and care, technology can play a vital role in improving
access to support and information, giving peace of mind and reducing stress.
We already know that assistive technology can give both carers and the people
they care for greater independence and
reassurance. Carers UK research in
2013 showed that almost three quarters
(72%) of carers using technology said
that it had given them greater peace of
mind. Over 10% said that using health
and care technologies had either helped
them to get a job or stay in work alongside caring.
Despite this, we are only now starting
to realise the opportunities for practical
and online technology to help families
to co-ordinate a better work-life-care
balance, access peer-to-peer support
and save time.
of a failure to support families to combine caring and work.
Business forum Employers for Carers
continues to highlight the costs in staff
productivity, absence, absenteeism and
workplace stress of families’ struggle to
combine work and care.
When they reach crisis point and end
up having to leave work not only do
families often face financial crisis but
employers face huge costs in recruitment, retraining and a loss of skills,
knowledge and expertise – often from
employees at the peak of their careers
who suddenly find that ageing parents
need support.
Opportunities for the Economy
With millions giving up work or reducing working hours the economy is paying the price. The earn-back effect of
helping families to stay in work could
net the Treasury millions in additional
tax revenues and reduced spending on
benefits and social care.
Opportunities for Employers
With an estimated 2.3 million people
having given up work to care, and a
further 3 million having cut their hours,
businesses are bearing the costs
The market for health and care technologies is underdeveloped and remains
focused on delivering block contracts
for statutory health and care agencies.
April 2014
OUR VISION FOR
TECHNOLOGY AND
CARING
»
A step-change in public and professional awareness of health and care
technologies so that use and purchase of technology to support caring becomes a normal part of life
and of professional practice
»
Cross-Government action to identify and realise the potential of
health and care technologies to support health and wellbeing, business
growth and productivity, labour
market participation, care workforce development and the sustainability of health and social care services
»
Employers should be looking to see
how technology can help them to be
better employers for the 3 Z[[ۈ [