Leaders in telecare highlight how advanced technology supports independent living for older persons

December 12, 2005 - Health Watch, a national provider of personal response systems in the United States, joins Tunstall, the world's largest manufacturer of telecare products and monitoring systems, in exhibiting technologies in development at the Center for Aging Services Technologies' Imagine Pavilion at the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA).

The WHCOA is held every ten years to provide the President and members of Congress with valuable policy recommendations to support the health and independence of older persons. The exhibit is open Dec. 12 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Dec. 13 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Leading U.S. public officials, including governors or representatives from all 50 states, the U.S. Territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia will attend the event. The Conference will also give the 1,200 delegates valuable information, strategies and advice to help them design and implement aging policies for the next decade and beyond.

Supporting over two million people in 20 countries around the world, Health Watch and Tunstall will showcase telecare solutions being used in the UK, and how they support independent living with enhanced safety and security in the home, improve the quality of life for older persons, reduce the cost of care for local authorities, and alleviate some of the burden on care givers and health care providers.

Telecare solutions are tailored to meet the needs of each individual using smart sensors as part of a supportive care service. The sensors monitor risks, hazards and environmental conditions around the home and trigger a call from the emergency response device to the monitoring centre when assistance is required.

Proactive telecare solutions enable caregivers to develop indices for important aspects of lifestyle using smart sensors to monitor bed and chair occupancy and the use of home appliances.

The system learns each client's behavioural benchmarks so timely, preventative support can be delivered when an individual's activities deviate from the standard. Systems are checked remotely using cell phone text messages or an Internet browser.