Raising the game on disability

Places for People, the UK's largest housing and regeneration group, has set up an assistive technology service after piloting the project over the last few years.

Technology to help disabled and elderly people stay independent A new technology service aimed at helping people live independently in their homes and communities will be launched by Places for People, as part of a week long roadshow.

The event aims to raise awareness of the day-to-day issues experienced by disabled and elderly and will travel from South Shields to London.

The UK's largest housing and regeneration group has set up an assistive technology service after piloting the project over the last few years.

The new service will extend the use of assistive technology products - technological aids which give people greater independence - to people in the next five years.

Aids include remote control devices for doors, windows and lights through to 'tele-care' devices that help people to remain safe in their homes by alerting them to flood or fire or when a person has had a fall.

One of the first major projects will see GBP250,000 invested over the next five years to automate front door access to 50 sheltered and extra-care schemes, in order to improve access for thousands of customers.

Tahir Idris, assistive technology manager at Places for People said that the housing sector should increasingly look to new technologies to help a wide range of people remain independent in their own home.

"Over 40 per cent of Places for People's customer base is made up of elderly people and with a larger proportion of the population now living to an older age, greater demands are being placed on the care system.

New technologies can greatly reduce this pressure and can offer people greater support and choice in maintaining independence.

"New technologies also have the capacity to be applied to a broader range of people such as homeowners and not just elderly, vulnerable or disabled people.

Smart homes could be hard-wired and future-proofed for new technological devices, which can be easily installed should people's life circumstances change." Places for People has recently been trialling the use of new technologies in schemes in the north-east and midlands.

Campbell Court, an extra-care scheme for elderly people in South Tyneside was built to accommodate assistive technologies.

Residents can take advantage of simple adaptations, such as grab rails to help people getting out of the bath, to high tech adaptations such as remote control devices for doors, windows and lights.

And a new assistive technology scheme in South Shields, for people with low to medium learning disabilities, will be completed in January 2007.

Dean Road will feature a range of innovative technologies including voice and face recognition phone systems and assistive technology capacity wiring.

It is also trialling mobile phones with built in panic alarms which pinpoint a person's exact location using GRPS.

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