A 19-year-old is leading the way in social care technology with a new service that offers peace of mind for relatives and carers for just £1.99 a week.

Telecare Technology provides vital back up for anyone who is supporting an elderly or vulnerable person living independently and is currently being piloted by local authorities, housing associations, Primary Care Trusts and independent living centres in the UK.

Director Jamie Cole might be only 19, but he is wise enough to come up with a cost effective technological solution to a modern day problem. The system he has helped develop makes automated calls to clients who respond to a recorded message by pressing any button on the telephone keypad. If the automated system does not receive a response another call is generated within half an hour. Failure to answer that call will trigger a text message and email to a nominated carer or relative so that they can make a decision about what to do next.

The service can also be used to remind people to take medication, to attend appointments or to check on people released from hospital and the low cost automated service offers peace of mind that everyone can afford. 

“This by no means replaces the need for personal contact, but it’s a safety net that enables elderly and infirm people to live independently and provides essential back up for carers who can’t provide 24 hour a day cover,” explains Jamie, who lives in Bristol.

“My Great Aunt lay with a shattered hip at the bottom of the stairs for three days before she was found. The pain must have been unbearable and a simple phone call would have got us to her days earlier.

“My grandmother also lives alone and with this service she feels protected knowing that by simply not answering her phone it will alert my family to any problem and that we will be able to get to her quickly,” he added.

Telecare Technology costs just £1.99 per week and messages can be personalised so that the relative will hear the reassuring voice of a family member.

Traditional call centre-based services charge from 40p per call and other home monitoring systems can cost several hundred pounds to install, therefore Telecare  Technology can bring substantial savings and efficiency to this budget-strapped frontline service and be a blessing for time-strapped relatives and carers. 

“Most people prefer to live in their own homes as they grow old and this is a burning issue, especially with an increasingly ageing demographic. I know it’s not something I have to worry about for a few decades but if my system can buy people precious time at home which they might not have been able to afford then that’s a good thing.”