Digital reablement – a personalised service to reduce admissions and readmissions to hospitals and nursing homes

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the importance of digital healthcare through telecare and portable assistive devices in supporting the reengineering of healthcare to deal with the needs of an older and more vulnerable population wishing to remain in their own homes. Design/methodology/approach – It supports the importance of the assessment process to identify hazards associated with independent living, and the possible consequences of accidents. By measuring and prioritising the risks, appropriate management strategies may be introduced to provide a safer home environment. Findings – A process for assessing and managing these risks has been developed. This can be applied to a wide range of different cases and yields solutions that can support independence. Research limitations/implications – The developed digital reablement process can be used to provide vulnerable people with a robust form of risk management. Practical implications – If telecare services follow the process described in this paper then they will improve the outcomes for their users. Originality/value – The process described in this paper is the first attempt to produce a robust assessment process for introducing telecare services in a reablement context.