Supporting Independent Living: The Role of Technology in Health and Social Care

SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT LIVING
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INTRODUCTION
Independent living is an important concept in HSC which means all disabled people having
the same choice, control, dignity and freedom as the other people at work, home or in the
community (Bedaf, et al. 2015). This assignment aims to define the different aspects of the
independent living. It aims to develop an assessing the contribution of technology in
independent living in health and social care. It also covers the advantages and hurdles in
using technology to support users of HSC living independently. It also throws light on the
health and safety consideration, ethical consideration and impact of recent and emerging
technological advancements on the care workers, organisations and social care services. It
further explains the specific needs of an individual and evaluation of the use of technology
for users in HSC services. Two different case study are adopted in this report in order to
make the deep understanding of the role, importance, drawbacks, barriers and other
aspects of the technology in supporting users of HSC in living independently.
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1.1 HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED TO SUPPORT USERS OF HEALTH AND
SOCIAL CARE SERVICES IN LIVING INDEPENDENTLY
Technology is playing a crucial role in health and social care. It has become the most
important tool to support user of HSC in living independently. In mentioned case study Sally
is 42 years old lady, who is facing different health problems like numbness in her left foot,
double vision, poor memory etc. There are many people like Sally who are facing difficulty in
performing their daily life activities. Technology is boon for the disabled people as it helps
them in doing their regular job in an easy and effective manner so that they can live their
life like other citizens.
The technology has provided different facilities to the disabled persons so that they can
leave a healthy and happy life. There are various technological tools which help the person
in doing their daily work with ease. The technological devices such as medication monitor,
activity trackers, voice command television, personal digital assistant etc. These devices are
helpful not only for the patients but also for the different caretakers and health
professionals. It helps in tracking the locations of the patients (Passas, et al. 2012).
The technology helps in disable persons like Sally in doing the regular work and social
activities in an effective manner. In mentioned case study Sally is using ankle-foot orthosis
and other different devices such as pocket coach to live her life easily and happily in spite of
her disability. It can be said that technology is playing an important in making life easy and
enjoyable for disabled people (Clegg, et al. 2013).
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1.2 BARRIERS TO THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT USERS OF
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SERVICES IN LIVING INDEPENDENTLY
No doubt, technology is playing a crucial role in the supporting independent living but there
are different barriers which are influencing to its effectiveness. Key barriers which are
restricting the effective use of the technology in HSC in living independently are mentioned
below-
 Training
 Maintenance systems
 Cost
 Implications of technical breakdown
TRAINING
Technology is not always easy to use, it needs proper training and guidance to use it
properly. The misuse of the technology can possess the adverse effect on the health of the
service users (Lluch, et al. 2011).
MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS
Technological devices need regular maintenance so that they can work properly and
accurately. Sometimes it is difficult to keep the maintenance of the technological devices;
therefore they can mislead or don’t work properly.
COST
Cost is the main barrier which restricts the service users to use technology. The
technological devices are expensive and are not affordable for the person belongs to the
low-income class (Meurer, et al. 2014).
IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNICAL BREAKDOWN
The technical breakdown is one of the main barriers in health and care organisation.
Sometimes a technological device fails to assist the disabled person which can possess an
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adverse impact on them. It can lead to an accident or any other incident which can affect
the Service user (Plaza, et al. 2011).
All the above-mentioned barriers affect the role of technology in health and care services. It
is imperative for the disable person like Sally to develop effective strategies to overcome
these barriers and to live a healthy and happy life.
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