Adaptations and Equipment

Adaptations

Adaptations are items and equipment for around your home and garden to make daily life easier. It may be that you need help getting up and down stairs or generally moving around.

Adaptations can be large items such as stair-lifts or more simple products such as handrails to help with mobility, seat raisers for toilets etc. They can also be electronic equipment, such as alarms to alert carers that you require help.

Birmingham Council offers a range of services to support people who need help around the home, including adaptations in some case. You can see all the support that is available on the Council's website. 

Telecare

Telecare is the name given to electronic equipment which can support people to remain independent in their own homes. Equipment can help someone feel safe and secure within their home and also offer family and carers peace of mind and reassurance.

An alarm or sensor can be worn by the person or placed around the home. This enables the person to directly seek help or, when a sensor is automatically triggered, alerts a call centre or an on site carer that the person requires assistance.

Birmingham Council runs a telecare service called Careline. You can find out more about this service on the council's website. 

When can telecare help?

There are lots of different types of equipment and many situations when Telecare can help.

Examples include:

• When someone feels vulnerable due to age, health issues, or disability
• When someone lives alone and feels isolated
• When someone is returning home from hospital or care
• To offer reassurance and peace of mind to family and carers
• When someone has a history of falls or is at risk of falling
• When someone is at risk of wandering out of the home alone
• When someone cannot react to emergencies within the house such as fire or floods
• When someone is unable to react to changes in the environment – extreme changes in room temperature
• When someone becomes ill
• When someone has carers that need to be alerted within the same property
• When someone wishes to develop their independence

myhomehelper

myhomehelper is an on-line memory aid and communication tool designed from the personal experience of looking after a loved one living with Dementia, helping to assist you to keep in touch with them whilst away from them, as well as keeping them more engaged, safer and informed between carer visits. It is has now been adopted by users with a wider range of cognitive impairments and by those who struggle with technology as it does not require interaction for it to work.

The tablet display sits in a loved ones living space, automatically cycling through various useful features and are setup and maintained by family/friends/carers over the internet.

Features include;

• Calendar clock
• Timed reminders (specific action/activity reminders eg Singing session)
• Random reminders (health care and wellbeing reminders eg drink plenty of water)
• Video calling (option for auto answer automatically answered)
• Instant messaging (via web, SMS or Facebook)
• Photos
• News headlines

You can read more about myhomehelper on their website where there is an Explanatory Video and a collection of Case Studies available. You can also read the myhomehelper brochure.