EVALUATING AN ACTIVITY BASED MONITORING SYSTEM FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN THEIR OWN HOMES (ALLY)

The Institute has begun an evaluation of a system that is able to monitor the extent and form of activity in the home of an older person on a 24-hour basis. The activity monitor can be used to raise an alarm if activity differs radically from the norm and can also provide insights that might lead to changes in support plans.

The system is being deployed in two locations in the north and south of England and the Institute will evaluate the impact of the system upon residents, their families and services providing support.

Together these projects and others conducted in health and social care settings are revealing both the promise of new innovations and the difficulties of establishing them as normal parts of service delivery. Each innovation has consequences for the processes by which service is normally delivered and the issues are therefore not just about technical change but are also about organisational development and service re-design. These projects are enabling the Institute to refine its evaluation and action research techniques in order that it can better provide client-centred support for all the parties involved to enable them to tackle the sociotechnical challenges of embedding new practices in the normal delivery health and social care.