Nine key requirements stand out in what people want from technology enabled care, according to research commissioned by the TEC Action Alliance.
The organisation, which represents 30 national care organisations, also said that care recipients do not always receive what they consider to be important in the use of technology.
Led by social policy researcher Dr Sarah Alden, the research involved examining nearly 100 sources of evidence and nearly 50 interviews and focus groups with people, families and unpaid carers.
It found the main things they want from technology enabled care include awareness of the options, devices and systems that enable them to do more independently, control over the technology, a say in its design and functionality, and reassurance for themselves and their families.
They also want the technology to be personalised, compatible with familiar devices, secure and private, and to come with advice and training in how to use it.
Common language
The report on the research – Implementing TEC so we can all live gloriously ordinary lives – identifies the need for a common language to describe all types of relevant technology. Currently, commissioners, service providers and suppliers use different terms, often with technical phrases, that many people find difficult to understand.
It also highlights a missed opportunity for councils to support people with lower level needs who are not on their radars, and recommends raising awareness of TEC among NHS primary care and community services.
The TEC Action Alliance also calls for the wider use of quality assurance schemes with a common TEC evaluation framework.
Alyson Scurfield, CEO of TEC Services Association and co-chair of the TEC Action Alliance said: “Over two million people in the UK already use technology enabled care but there is an opportunity to support many more people to live happily and independently at home.
“We’ll never realise this potential if we don’t ask people what they want from digital care, and then design services and solutions around these ambitions – rather than assuming we know what they want.”
