Cariad Flats and TEC Provision

The Cariad Scheme in Blaenau Gwent saw the development of eight intermediate care units across Care Homes, Extra Care and Sheltered Housing Provision. The Cariad flats are part of an intermediate care scheme that offers temporary accommodation for older people with support to prevent them either having to go into hospital or also help them to be discharged quicker preventing them having to remain in hospital needlessly.  

The project promoted TEC within five of the Cariad Flats, and home automation was also fitted within two of these. The project aimed to offer TEC to people affected by falls, people with dementia, and those with cognitive impairments. The range of new assisted technologies within the scope of the project were designed to help older people live safely in their own homes for longer 

Whilst at the intermediate care CARIAD flats people could be assessed to establish what support they require to enable them to return to their own homes, this could include aids and adaptations, re-ablement programmes or care from a domiciliary care agency. 

Technology used in the flats included automatic windows, curtains and door closers, intercom, infra-red based controllers, activity/inactivity monitoring, smoke/CO/flood detectors, My Homehelper and trackers. Canary System (activity/inactivity monitoring) and Mindme trackers were also utilised. 

The project came under Blaenau Gwent Council’s Living Independently Strategy and received funding from Welsh Government’s Integrated Care Fund. There were a number of partners involved, additionally. 

Project Aims 

• Reduce number of people requiring long term care home placements 
• Reduce unnecessary admissions to hospital 
• Reduce number of people who require longer term social care interventions 
• Increase the number of people who live independently in the community 
• Enriched intelligence of the current and future needs of people who are accessing the service 

Rupert Lawrence, Head of Worcestershire Telecare, said: 

“We are delighted to be working with Blaenau Gwent Council on this exciting initiative to highlight the benefits of smart home and assistive technologies. Our collaborative approach will include the key evaluation of outcomes throughout the project and demonstrate how a modern approach to Technology Enabled Care (TEC) can enhance people’s lives, help to facilitate better care arrangements following hospital discharge and how a proactive TEC deployment can be used to support people living with dementia and at risk of falls more effectively. Using technology as a key part of forward-strategies for independence is crucial for overcoming the challenges faced by Health and Social Care.”