Silas Campbell at Blueleaf discusses how technology is impacting on and enhancing the way care homes are run; from smart home integration relieving stress and demand for staff to robots helping to fight loneliness in residents
The care sector is undergoing a period of change, but while there is a degree of uncertainty as to what the future holds, the opportunities are also exciting. However, there are current and future challenges that the sector needs to adapt and prepare for - for example, staff shortages, the ageing population and the negative image of a career in the care sector, which is exacerbating the ongoing skills shortage.
Currently, only some care homes take advantage of the technology already on offer, so there is still a huge way to go to achieve mass implementation. The whole sector needs to be aware of the opportunities available and to get on board with and implement these new technologies as they could be the key to solving future challenges.
At present, 11.6 million people in the UK are aged 65 or over and this figure is set to rise by 2.4 million over the next 10 years. The number of people living with long term health conditions such as dementia, heart disease, arthritis and stroke has also risen, partly due to an improved healthcare system, but also due to an increase in life expectancy and poor life choices.
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