Supporting Independent Living: Technology, Health, and Safety Report

This report investigates the role of technology in supporting independent living, focusing on a case study of Sally, who faces physical challenges. It explores how technology, such as personal digital assistants, helps individuals manage daily tasks and maintain independence. The report analyzes the benefits of technology for both individuals and healthcare organizations, while also addressing the barriers to technology adoption, including cost and technical difficulties. Furthermore, it delves into health and safety considerations, ethical implications of assistive technologies, and the impact of recent technological developments on health and social care services, organizations, and care workers. The report emphasizes the importance of ethical practices, data privacy, and the need for training to maximize the benefits of technological advancements in promoting independent living and improving patient care.

Supporting Independent
living

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1How technology help sally to live independently.............................................................1
1.2Barrier in the use of technologies to support sally in living independently......................2
1.3 Benefit of technologies to health care service organisation and their user......................2
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................3
2.1 Health and safety consideration in the use of technologies in health and social care......3
2.2 Ethical consideration in the use of assistive technologies................................................4
2.3 impact of recent and emerging technological development on health and social care
service, organisation and care workers ..................................................................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
3.1 the specific needs which are required by the Maggie for living independently ..............5
3.2 Assistive devices which are essential for Maggie to living independently .....................6
3.3 the usefulness of technology for users of health and social care services........................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Supporting living defines as the significant determinant for those persons which are
suffering from dementia and other various health issues. In this some technological advancement
provide them for standard life as well as minimising health issues.(Perry, Dowdall and Hone,
2015). The assignment presents the assistive technologies that promote the people's self-
dependent life. Case study presents that currently sally is facing some physical problems like,
double vision and numbness in her left foot and for resolving this issue, she was meet to an
assistive technology specialist for getting good treatment. Report will present that how
technology can support sally in living independent and also analyse the barriers which occurs
during the use of technology. Study will explain health and safety consideration in the use of
technological devices in health and social care. Further it will also define the influence of recent
and future technological expansion on well-being, associations and care workers.
TASK 1
1.1How technology help sally to live independently
Independent- living defines as the capability of an person to which help them for taking
own decisions and design certain choices to live their life through their own rules. Person with
various resources such as financial and support from family and friends effectively contributes
towards living people independently. Technology plays an important role in supporting the user
of well-being firms in terms of living better life. Through understanding the case we find out that
sally cannot manage her work and daily routine life and the GP refers her to vision and assistive
technology for managing her overall life independently. Sally hire the personal digital assistant
known as Pocket coach that helps her to strengthen memory skills(Blackman, 2016). Through
pocket coach she can able to maintain all the practices. For example, sally can remind her self for
completing next activities through pushing a single switch of tools and technology also remind
her to take supplement and medication on right time. All of these technologies and activities help
sally to maintain life in the good manner and minimise the level of dependence on others. Sally
can understand better way of running and managing her daily routine activities without taking
support from peoples through driver's trainer specialist which suggested by the GP. There has
been various development and emerging technologies which support the specific need of patient
like sally, suffering from number of health problems. Technology help the sally to living
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independently because it improves the quality of life and enable them to remain in their homes
rather than admitted to hospital which can possible only through more effective and efficient
treatment that is provided by technological advancement. Now we can say technological devices
support sally to living independently.(Zeanah, 2018).
1.2Barrier in the use of technologies to support sally in living independently
It includes various barriers which occurs while using technological devices for supporting
the sally in living independently such as difficulty while using technical sources and also
consume high cost while these services could be major problem, for effectively using all of
technology a person need to provide some training, maintenance and technical breakdown of
these technologies defines the barriers at the time of using technology. As per the view of case
study, vision specialist suggested sally to use eye patch and also said that she has to connected
with the technological expertise for conflicts situation which results in increasing number of
problems day by day. Technology consumes high cost which may also set the limitation for the
people because all of patients are not able to pay higher prices for treatment due to financial
problems(Heinz, 2016). Sally might face the financial problems for services which provide by
the well being organisation because as an independent person, for sally it is not possible to use
all these services. She also face the problem in using electronic devices that are provided to her
for their betterment of health. Sally can not manage their time which results in increasing the
chances of some other health issues which creates problems for utilising technology.
1.3 Benefit of technologies to health care service organisation and their user
Health care service organisation gain higher level benefit through utilising effective
technologies. Through technological advancement organisation can create proper care planning
process as well as design and implement the framework for proper care management of the
patients. Technology also provides the support to service care organisation in patient handling
with delivering many physically challenging assistant for improving their health. As per the view
of the case study, many persons suffering from various types’ health issues which are related to
loss of memory as well as numbness in body parts which results in increased number of patients
which has great impact on the volume of sales of the firms and higher turnover. Health care
service organisation can effectively create the competitive environment in the market through
providing higher quality services to patients that lead to increasing their market value which
ensure their long terms success(Ayres, 2016). Technology also provide the benefits in terms of
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increasing the goodwill of the enterprise because it creates the positive attitude on the peoples
who are suffering from these type of diseases.
Technology provide the various benefits to user such as user can effectively maintain its
routine life activities without taking support from others and they can work according to their
daily schedule because technological systems also provides the information about completing the
information. Technological supports also changes the behaviour and emotional outcome of the
patients as well as develop the happiness and content attitude. Technological support also
provides independent life style to the patient. According to the case study, sally maintain her
routine life independently through using pocket coach that gives information about completing
their next work which promotes her independent living. Patients can identify the risk likely to be
occurred at home through utilising technologies such as smoke and gas alarm as well as locator
devices. It also provide the benefit in terms of less cost because in this person not need to go for
hospital treatment and care at home regularly. Technologies also provide an effective treatment
to disable and dementia patients so they can feel better and survive their life effectively. Thus,
technological tools are very useful and plays an important role in terms of offering better life to
people who face the condition of the various health issues(Cossu-Ergecer, 2018).
TASK 2
2.1 Health and safety consideration in the use of technologies in health and social care
The efficient use of technology in the health and social care contributes towards healthy
life of the person. On the basis of case study sally also referred to social worker for getting help
and counselling which are related to her finance, work and personal life. Technological devices
help the Sally to manage personal as well as working life. In this information technology plays
an important role in which social care can effectively communicate issues of patients. Health and
safety legislation cover the various responsibility of management in terms of batter decision
about the health and safety of its employees and take it is as their responsibility. For example,
GP suggest to sally for sharing her problems with the specialist for resolving the health issues.
(Jamieson, 2019). He also requested to specialist for educating the sally about other
technological devices which are available for improving their health. On the basis of health and
safety act, the working environment of the companies as per the standard which are set by the
act. According to case study sally was provided with the keyboard that covers the large surfaces
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with large surfaces with large black letters. For ensuring the safety of patients, health specialist
requires to assess the disadvantage of using technology that facilitates to provide the right
treatment to them. Further, doctors needs to check and review the patients time to time which
need to check the effectiveness of assistive technology and provides safety to them which leads
in terms of providing information about health and safety of peoples and also provide safe life to
the communities(Wang, Kung and Byrd, 2018).
2.2 Ethical consideration in the use of assistive technologies
Ethics defines as the practice which drives the individual behaviour and action. The use
of assistive technology should consider the ethical implementations that ensure better life of the
patients. According to case study, specialist provides the various treatments to the sally and use
hand-held personal digit which assist her to maintain her daily tasks that are related to taking
medication and medical doses. It also makes its life simpler and enhances independence but it
can has an great impact on her life. Doctors need to follow the ethical consideration of assistive
technologies through the help of protecting the data of patients. They do not show any
confidential; and private information about the patients in front of others and also provides the
full privacy about their personal problem in terms of following the business ethics. While using
the technology, person should keep in the mind ethical and must use it as a safety measures. The
usage of assistive technology can be results in providing the harmful issues (Chong, Liu and
Keng-Boon, 2015). For example, sally maintained and handles her life by using various tools
which depends on her self-actualisation of technology. For the effective implication of the ethics
in the assistive technology, it is significant that specialists of sally need to show the benefits of
such technological products and they need to give example of patient which are facing the same
problem.
2.3 impact of recent and emerging technological development on health and social care service,
organisation and care workers
The recent technological development has great impact upon the health and social care
services, organisation and care workers in terms of both positively and negatively. For example,
in the firm employer need to train its employees according to the technological advancement
which results in increasing the cost(Drummond, 2015). Otherwise workers can work effectively
towards caring the health services of patients. Assistant technology assist patient for maintaining
self-balance and increased personal mobility. The technological advancement enhances better
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life of the disable peoples which results in creating good value for service provider organisation.
Technological development also affect the health care service organisation, if they do not adopt
the technological development then they can not perform their work efficiently at the market
place because technological development increases their productivity and also helps the
organisation in terms of compete with competitors(Ginter, Duncan and Swayne, 2018).
Technological development perform an significant role towards increasing the efficiency
of workers through enhancing their communication and it also address the care coordination and
safety issues by standardizing the work of the workers. Along with that it also have some
negative impact because sometimes it results in creating the conflict at the work place and
become more expensive at the same time. The heavy use of the technological tool also affects the
patients due to more dependence on few medicines and addiction to a specific medicine.
Emerging technological development has also impact on the organisation because it increase the
engagement with new customers which results in getting more satisfied customer. It also
positively affect the organisation in terms of increasing the productivity of the firm through
effective use of the technologies.(Zeanah, 2018).
TASK 3
3.1 the specific needs which are required by the Maggie for living independently
Independent living refers to the very effective policy which provide freedom to
individuals for improving life. This process helps to those patients which are facing the
disabilities in terms of taking better decision through gaining the decision. The case study
describe about the life 62 year old lady who are facing the health issues such as
dementia(Calvaresi, 2017). According to case study the various needs of Maggie are as follows-
Physical need: it includes the various basic need such as food, water and shelter which fulfil the
independent living of Maggie. It focuses on the housing, goods and services. Maggie require the
facility of the house in which she can living with full of safety.
Intellectual needs: it refers to the various needs which are required for personal growth of an
individual like, educational needs and critical learning. Intellectual needs consider as the
significant need for the Maggie because it includes various activities which stop her medical
treatment and for this she require understanding about the critical learning activities.
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Health needs: Health needs are important for the Maggie because she is the patient with the a
disability. The case study describes that Maggie currently facing the various health issues. So
she has the specific need of health specific requirement of the health living conditions which
move the Maggie to take the support of the various facilities such as regular home care which
can help Maggie to overcome the present condition. For example, technological devices can be
describes as the effective and useful tool for her health improvement.(Nygård, Astell and
Sixsmith, 2016).
3.2 Assistive devices which are essential for Maggie to living independently
On the basis of the case study, for living independently Maggie need to use various
assistive devices. There are various appropriate assistive devices which are useful for support
Maggie in terms of living independently. Assistive devices such as Reminder assistance, sensor
and alarm and computer which support Maggie to continue living independently(Blackman,
2016).
Reminder Assistance: As per the case, Maggie facing serious problem such as forgetting the
significant task of her life such as forgetting taking tablets, returning home on time as well as
maintaining the home care facilities. To minimise the above issue, Maggie requires the reminder
assistance that will help to her for maintaining her daily activities and also help in creating the
effective time schedule.
Sensor and Alarm: These devices are considered as the important part of an individuals in
terms of maintaining her health issues. The sensor system which may pose to danger to her
health and the regular also help Maggie in terms of maintaining a good schedule for taking
tablets timely and take care of her health. These type of devices support the Maggie in terms of
designing an efficient tool which are associated with them and these procedures make Maggie to
keep a routine of her food and medication (Novitzky, 2015).
Computer: As per the view of the case study, Maggie shows is an active person who often
involved in multitasking according to her characteristic. This device help s her to creating and
maintaining her daily routine activities as well as their multitasking activities.. Computer would
help her in designing an effective time schedule for maintaining her personal life in terms of
managing the social relations.
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3.3 the usefulness of technology for users of health and social care services
The technological advancement is defines as the effective technique which work towards
increasing people's better health because it results in promoting her independent living and
minimise the problems of her family members. People who are facing this type of health
problems, they need to increase their better quality life for working independently and achieve
internal happiness (Blackman, 2016). Technology determined as the very important aspect of
living for every individual. According to case study, technology supports Maggie in designing an
effective schedule for improving an better life. It includes various technological devices which
help her in terms of designing a effective time frame for maintaining her routine and it also
support the individual in terms of increasing the capability towards taking her individual
decisions. Technology also plays an important role in the well being of the peoples for designing
effective implication of the health of the patients. It also help to the user of health and social care
service in terms of providing an support to the person for reducing the level of illness(Michie,
2017). Through case study, Maggie leaves from home various times and forgetting to take the
medication and meals. This can overcome through using Pocket coach, which recognised as an
effective device which helps in managing daily activities. Technology help disable people to
manage their life effectively and improve the overall health of the person and increase their
standard of the life. Technological advancement also plays an important role in the life of the
disable peoples because it provides them an opportunity to live independently as well as give
them an more meaningful life. The technological sources used for providing the treatments to
disable patients in terms of learning and training and speech therapy and better communication
with external environment. It is also useful for disable person because it helps in providing an
important sense of self- work as well as empowerment. Through this user of health services able
to care of their requirements in terms of healthy life.
CONCLUSION
The above study has been summarised with that technological devices plays an important
role in the individuals life in terms of providing better health services to the peoples who faces
the health issues and it is good way to improve their independent living and generate positive
attitude among them. The assistive technology includes the various devices such as reminder
assistance, Sensor and alarm as well as computer which help disable person in terms of
effectively maintaining his/her life towards achieving individual growth.
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REFERENCES
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support community engagement and independence. In Technology and the Treatment of
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Calvaresi, D and et.al., 2017. Exploring the ambient assisted living domain: a systematic review.
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injury. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, pp.1-14.
Michie, S and et.al., 2017. Developing and evaluating digital interventions to promote behavior
change in health and health care: recommendations resulting from an international
workshop. Journal of medical Internet research. 19(6). p.e232.
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Novitzky, P and et.al., 2015. A review of contemporary work on the ethics of ambient assisted
living technologies for people with dementia. Science and engineering ethics. 21(3).
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