Review of Assistive Technologies in Healthcare: Sally's Case Study

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This report analyzes assistive technologies for independent living.

Supporting Independent Living
Page | 1

Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
LO 1 Understand the use of technology to support independent living......................................3
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................6
LO 2 Understand the implications of developments in technologies for use in health and social
care...............................................................................................................................................6
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................9
LO 3 Be able to recommend technologies to support independent living for users of health and
social care services......................................................................................................................9
References:....................................................................................................................................12
Page | 2

Task 1
LO 1 Understand the use of technology to support independent living
The term independent living refers to the ability of a human being to live their life according to
their own choices and by making their own decisions and lives independently and freely without
the guidance of any second person. But for being independent it is essential for an individual to
have sufficient financial resources, quality of support from family, relatives, and friends, and
must possess adequate information. The health and social care services have users of varied ages,
say, some are senior citizens, and some are children who are disabled are living their lives
independently. According to the given scenario, one of the users of health and social care
services is Sally who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
There have been several advances introduced in the medicines and technologies which assist
people in having various kinds of disabilities. Assistive technology refers to the several types of
social gadgets and technology which people uses for living independently. Sally is an
independent woman and up to 4years specialists were treating her and noticed severe changes in
her memory. In the later time, according to the scenario, Sally has been provided with a personal
digital assistant (PDA) which is referred to as “PocketCoach” which helps her in her memory
skills. This is the electronic device which assists Sally in remembering what is to be done next
just by pressing a button. It helps her in remembering major important aspects relating to her
health like taking medicines and supplements (Greenhalgh, et. al., 2015).
There are several barriers in using the technology by health and social care services such as
technological gadgets are not handy and not everybody can use it, these gadgets are expensive,
training cost as people require training on how to use these gadgets, technological breakdown or
maintenance related problems can occur. Sally gets irritated and frustrated while meeting a
varied number of specialists and this could demotivate her in making use of assistive technology.
It is very difficult for an independently living person to spend a lot of money on services of
health and social care and thus there is a maximum chance that Sally might face a crisis in her
finances. It might get strenuous for her to use the assistive technology for her betterment(Peek,
et. al., 2016).In case of breakdown of the technology provided to her or in case of maintenance
Page | 3

of the same, it will become difficult for the Sally in her improvement and could result in getting
back to her initial condition.
It is very important for the individual to have treatment after the care or services being given to
them for their health conditions to be perfect. In the case scenario given, if Sally would have
been provided with assistance and care after her treatment it could help her in early recovery. An
independent person lives alone and depends on their own freedom and lifestyle but at a certain
point even they require mental support from their friends, and relatives, along with technical and
medical treatment. If such support is being given to Sally she might get recover faster. Health
and social care service providers have trained staff members who take care of their patients. The
health and social care service is a good option for the people suffering from diseases and also for
those who are not aware of assistive technologies as it helps them make use of such technologies.
Hence, there are various benefits and barriers of assistive technologies which aid health and
social care services in improving their care and services (Cahill, et. al., 2017).
There are numerous benefits of assistive technologies. The most significant benefit of such
technology as provided by the health and social care services is it makes the individual becoming
more independent so that he/ she can perform their own job without the aid, need, and support of
any person whether it’s the family member, friend or relative. As per the case scenario, Sally is
an individual being who with the aid of health and social care services can manage to do her
work all alone. The optimum use of assistive technology can help her in minimizing the health
risk and includes taking of her medication on time. This helps in improving the knowledge of the
people relating to the availability of advanced technologies and increasing awareness of the
services being used.
Sally is an independent individual who works for her living on her own. She is being suffered
from several health-related problems and taking the aid of health and social care services for the
same. At first, Sally wants to know what disease she is being suffered from, someone who can
provide a solution to her health problem and what are the actions that she should do to cure her
disease. Then at the second stage, she wants her disease to be diagnosed correctly and proper
treatment should be given to her. She consulted specialists relating to her problem. Afterward,
Page | 4

she will use the assistive technology i.e. PocketCoach which assists her in her treatment. And
lastly, she will be able to take her medication and supplements on time.
There are various benefits of assistive technologies in the health and social care services. The
assistive technologies help the service care center in any type of services they require. For
instance, providing assistance in any kind of financial or technical related problems which is
faced by an individual becomes difficult for health and social care services to treat their diseases.
The health and social care services can provide aid to the individuals by solving their problems
by giving them creative ideas and by taking care and looking after the individuals suffering from
the diseases. Some of the advantages of assistive technologies include use of robotics during
surgery, eye patches and gears, IT and telecommunications which includes decision support
system, disease-modulating medication, aid in hearing, developments in super specialized
surgeries and minimal access, molecular genetics advancements, mobility assistive technology,
treatments for spasticity, depression, and incontinence, personal digital assistants, etc (Debes, et.
al., 2016).
Page | 5

Task 2
LO 2 Understand the implications of developments in technologies for use in health and
social care
The technology these days have made emerging and drastic advancements and it is very essential
to apply and use these advancements and innovations of the technologies in the medical field.
These advancements in technologies help the researchers to analyze the current situations and
introduce better medication for the patients of different diseases. These help the patients in
getting their treatment with higher ease. By using the upgraded and advanced version of
technologies physicians and surgeons can provide better treatment to their patients and can also
provide required care. Hence, making developments in the technologies is important to provide
enhancement in the individual’s quality life (Michie, et. al., 2017).
The legislation of health and safety is covered under the Health and Safety at Work Act
(HSWA), 1974. It focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the employer towards the health
and safety of the employees working for the employer. It is the duty of the employer to abide by
all the legislation and rules stated in the act. According to the case scenario given, GP has
suggested and recommended Sally to visit an Occupation Therapist and an Assistive Technology
Specialist to provide a cure or at least solutions to the problems suffered by her. GP appealed to
the specialists to provide Sally the entire information about the assistive technologies which can
help her in recovering her impairments (Almond, et. al., 2016).
As per the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the organizations should conduct their business
activities in accordance to the standards mentioned in the act. The working environment and the
workplace should be safe and secure and must fulfill its minimum requirements as per the act.
According to the case study, Sally was being given a keyboard covering the large surface along
with the large letters in black and which are surrounded by a background of yellow in color. As
Sally is facing numerous problems, hence, it was evident to provide her assistance with the help
of latest and innovative technologies. Both of the specialists took efforts and worked altogether
to provide her technological solutions by determining the other possible help so as to make
possibility of the additional activities like activities which include personal care of Sally by
Page | 6

including toothbrush handles, kitchen aids for cooking inclusive of jar openers, gardening by
using gardening tools, recipe card holders, and so on. This shows how technology can make the
life of an individual so easy and convenient. And hence, the implication of developments in the
technologies by the medical field has made the life of the Sally easier. Apart from this, when she
started feeling weak from the right side of her body and finds it difficult to drive, GP suggested
her to a trained specialist who designed her vehicle with a left foot accelerator and spinner knob
and provides her training of driving this new patterned vehicle. Another technological aid Sally
was being provided with was personal digital assistance called PocketCoach while helps Sally in
remembering the things which she is constantly forgetting. This PDA technology helps her in
memorizing her day to day activities and taking of medicines, supplements, and nutritional diet
on time and also helps her in memorizing what is to be done next (Rolls, et. al., 2016).
Using technologies by individuals or by a group of people ethically is essential. Ethics are the
moral values and principles which describe the behavior of the individual and helps in
determining the person’s conduct. While taking into consideration the case study of Sally,
technology has helped Sally in providing medical assistance and in performing other activities.
But there can be a technological breakdown, and in such case, it can cause a severe problem to
Sally as she is totally dependent on technology. This can cause her serious issue and can result in
bringing her back to her initial stage.
It is essential to take ethical consideration while using technology. The problem relating to
technology usage and the way Sally uses it can result in severe consequences. Sally should know
how to make optimum utilization of technology and should not hurt herself and people
associated with her by making excessive use of technologies. It is the duty of the specialist to
provide information to Sally about the benefits of such technology and ways of using it.
Health and social care services are using technologies as it is growing rapidly. Through
technology, it becomes easier to determine the uncertain events which may occur in the
organization. Technology helps in alerting and safeguarding the staff members and other people
in the organization at the time of emergency situations. Technology is used in day to day life of
an individual such as the use of automatic appliances, controlling of temperatures through
sensors and remote monitoring which helps in checking of blood pressure, pulse rate, etc.
Page | 7

Assistive technology helps in minimizing the communication gap and improves the quality of
life of human beings.
Assistive technology helps in improving the life of the individual and providing them a quality
life. But there are cases when assistive technology is treated as a disadvantage to the people. It is
expensive and creates complications in working organizations. Technology affects the business
organizations in both positive as well as negative manner. While considering the positive effect
of technology, it uplifts the brand identity of the company, brings quality and loyalty in the
working environment. Students can do online studies and do distance learning courses through
technology and by using the internet can enrich their knowledge and information about any field.
But, excessive usage of technologies can result in less physical activities which result in
increased health problems. Also, in health and social care units and other health-related
organizations, technology plays an integral part. There are certain negative effects as well of
excessive use of technologies which are over or totally dependent on the technologies that in
case of their maintenance or breakdown people become uncomfortable and finds it difficult in
doing their daily chores on their own (Smailhodzic, et. al., 2016).
Page | 8

Task 3
LO 3Be able to recommend technologies to support independent living for users of health
and social care services.
Independent living refers to the living according to one’s own choice and not letting anybody
control the decisions and life of an independent individual. The health and social care services
provide support to individuals suffering from any physical or mental disease. This aid the people
in living their life like before by providing them health care and boosting their morale. This helps
in determining the ways through which the health and social care services can assist the
individuals in living their life as they desire independently and freely.
It is essential for an individual to live a free life and lead their own path without taking any
support of family, friends, and relatives. Living an independent life can help the individual in
boosting their confidence and take his/ her own decisions (Khosravi, et. al., 2016). Every
individual has certain requirements like emotional support, social needs, and physical needs.
According to Sally's case study, she has certain specific needs like intellectual needs which help
in the growth and development of the human being in terms of education and learning. Physical
needs define as the fulfilment of the basic needs of individuals like shelter, water, and food.
Physical needs include housing facilities, goods, and services, etc. Health needs are the most
crucial and critical needs for individuals having some kind of diseases. Sally is suffering from
multiple sclerosis and facing the problem of memory loss. Due to which, Sally requires several
needs relating to her health conditions and provides support in terms of medical care, home care,
and other technical assistance which can help the patients in handling and managing the current
situations. Assistive technology helps in the improvements of her health by providing her various
types of health and social care (Mort, et. al., 2015).
Various other needs which Sally might face because of her disease or disability include
Trouble in eating, chewing or swallowing
Depression and anxiety
Page | 9

Tremor
Agitation
Impulsivity and disinhibition
Balancing problems
Memory distortions
Speech and language difficulty
Wandering or restlessness
Delusions or hallucinations
Hearing, speaking, or eyesight impairment
Memory relapse results in keys mislaying.
There are various assistive devices which can help Sally in living her life independently like
before. Assistive devices play a vital role in the independence of the individual or patients
suffering from any kind of diseases. These assistive devices or technologies include personal
digital assistants, alarms and sensors, computers, laptops, or tablets, locator devices, clocks and
calendars, telecare, medication assistance, etc.
PDA (Personal digital assistants) helps the patients in remembering their daily tasks and timely
medication and taking nutritious diet and supplements on time. It also includes a reminder of
what to do next. The personal digital assistance is known as PocketCoach as it is pocket-friendly
and convenient to use and access. Sally is facing the problem of memory loss and PDA
technology helps her in remembering her day to day activities and taking proper care of her. This
helps Sally in managing her routine schedule effectively.
Alarms and sensors help in providing safety measures in case of any unforeseen crucial event.
These can help in safeguarding the lives of the individuals from any mishappening and provides
security to them.
Page | 10

Computers, laptops, tablets or any other such devices help Sally in managing and organizing her
daily routine as she is a multi-tasking woman and these devices help her in performing all the
multiple activities most effectively. Such devices assist Sally in maintaining her relations with
her family members, friends, relatives or other acquaintances.
Locator devices are used to locate the areas and also in remaining the things which are forgotten
after being kept at a particular place. This device helps in locating things, and areas.
Clocks and calendars help Sally in reminding of the dates and time and minimizing the
confusion.
Tele-care is a wide or vast variety of service care and medical assistance. It helps Sally in
providing alerts in case of an emergency situation or crisis. This also helps her in finding the
most appropriate and suitable way to reduce it and thus helps her in saving her life from events
like gas, heat, floods, fire, leaving her home, etc (Wilson, et. al., 2015).
Technologies play an integral part in the living style of the individuals and help them to be
independent and live their lives with freedom. Technologies aid in reducing or minimizing the
physical efforts of the individuals and providing them comfortable and smart life. According to
the case study given, technology has helped and supported Sally in completing all her daily
activities and seeks towards living a healthy life. Her specialist has suggested her, the use of
assistive technology because she was facing the issue in memorizing her tasks and even taking
up her medicines. The assistive technology just by pressing a button help her in remembering
what all to be done and what to do next. This helped Sally in living her independent life as she
always desired and make her capable enough to take her decisions on her own. The assistive
technology has helped the health and social care services in improving their brand image by
providing its patients with improved health care and support. Health and social care units have
trained employees and making use of advanced technology can help in increasing its goodwill,
revenues and ultimately profits of the organizations.Hence, it helps the patients in recovering at a
faster pace from the disease they are suffering from. It is not possible on the part of the
government to reach each individual and provide them support and care. Hence, health and social
care service units can provide better support to the patients and help them in their recovery and
Page | 11

improvements. And hence, it helps in removing the patient's diseases or disabilities (Chen, et. al.,
2016).
Page | 12