How can digital technology transform the future of home care?
Posted on 13 July 2021
One of the most positive things to come out of the pandemic over the last year is how various forms of technology have helped to keep us connected. The digital revolution has also allowed care workers to adapt they way we operate to improve our care services and put people at the centre of everything we do.
As our life expectancy and ageing population increases, the demand for quality care services in the home rises too. The desire to receive vital care in a familiar and comfortable setting is one of the main reasons people choose home care, as opposed to moving into a residential care home.
However, this sector is not without its own challenges. Particularly in the early days, it may feel quite strange to have a care worker having regular access to your home. Common concerns in the past have included transparency on a carer’s attendance or limited communication with family members of the person receiving care.
Various technologies are already helping to transform processes within the home care sector, from reporting tools to improved communications. This helps us to keep loved ones and their families informed about their home care visits, whilst also streamlining paperwork and admin to keep track of vital information.
Improved speed and quality of care
A typical care worker’s job doesn’t just involve the practical work you might normally associate with providing personal care. A considerable portion of the day job includes filling and filing paperwork to keep managers and fellow carers informed of the work carried out and any necessary changes to a person’s service.
By digitising these paper based processes, we can streamline the workflow and ultimately improve our overall service. Instead of spending time filling out paperwork and bringing it back to head office to be verified and sorted, all the necessary admin can be done on a tablet or phone and sent back to the office in an instant.
This means spending less time on lengthy admin, freeing up care workers’ time to focus more on service users. With more capacity to carry out practical tasks and assist people at home, we can truly go the extra mile and improve the quality of care for those who require it.
Better communication
Ironically, the pandemic and lockdown restrictions helped to bring us closer together when we were physically distanced. This is thanks to the wide range of instant communication methods available to us, from the humble phone call to tech-charged instant messages, emails and video calls.
The effectiveness of instant communications has helped to improve both the quality of care and quality of service we can deliver in the home care sector. Care workers can remain in touch with their team leaders to check in and out of visits, as well as easily contact service users to keep them informed if their carer is running late one day.
Additionally, family and close friends of a loved one receiving care are never kept out of the loop. Progress reports and regular updates can be given to nominated individuals over the phone or via email to give them peace of mind and clarity on the care that their loved one is receiving and when.