Tunstall Launches Latest Telehealthcare Solutions to Support Independence and Well-Being

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 04, 2008 – At this year’s national Telecare and Telehealth Conference, Tunstall is launching its latest telehealthcare solutions, which have been designed to support a more integrated approach to health and social care within the community, promoting independence and well-being.

At the conference, Tunstall will demonstrate how its telehealthcare solutions are playing a pivotal role in underpinning the Government’s health and social care policies designed to support independence, health and well-being, providing a combined solution and delivering more flexible, personalised care.

Lifeline Connect
The Lifeline Connect is the newest addition to the Lifeline range of home units, and combines the Lifeline 400’s simplicity with some of the advanced features of the Lifeline Connect+ to deliver more personalised care and better management of risks for older people and those with long-term needs, in line with the Putting People First agenda from the Department of Health.

The Lifeline Connect has many features that simplify its use for users, such as technical call queuing and speech warning messages, and also includes event-based configuration which enables the unit to be personalised for individual needs and circumstances.

Vega “safer walking” technology
Tunstall will also be discussing Vega "safer walking technology", a solution which has been designed to enable high quality care and support for people with Alzheimer’s, giving users greater independence and the freedom to walk about in a safe environment, and offering valuable peace of mind to families and carers.

The Vega Watch uses assisted GPS and GSM technology which recognises when the user goes outside a preset safe zone, alerting a monitoring center so that a timely and appropriate response can be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the individual. The Vega service is currently being piloted by customers and the evaluation will be published in due course.

21CN compatibility
As migration to BT’s 21CN continues, Tunstall is working closely with health and social care providers to identify non-compatible equipment, roll-out replacement programmes and avoid risk to service users.  Tunstall has conducted warden call equipment audits for 2100 schemes to date, and urges all customers with older systems to assess their compatibility with 21CN.

Training and education DVD
Tunstall has developed a new training and education DVD for health and social care professionals, which explains how telehealthcare can be used to effectively manage risks in the home and support independence and well-being, and also includes advice on installation.

The DVD features real-life case studies which discuss the positive impact telehealthcare has had on service users and healthcare providers, and also includes an interview with Neil Revely from Sunderland City Council about Fair Access to Care Services.

Inductive Loop System
Tunstall will be demonstrating its Inductive Loop System, which connects to a Lifeline home unit when an alarm is raised from a telecare sensor, and automatically reduces the volume on television or speaker systems.  This enables the monitoring center to communicate more effectively with the service user to ensure the most appropriate response is provided.

GSM Compatible Lifeline Connect+
Also being showcased at the national conference is Tunstall’s new Lifeline Connect+ which has been specifically designed to work with GSM networks and provide reliable transmission and connection with mobile networks.

Telecare Office Manager – TOM:  new managed service
TOM effectively streamlines and enhances the management of telecare services and assets, by ensuring providers have all the information they need relating to customers, the equipment required and the levels of available stock.

TOM is now available as a managed service, which Tunstall is demonstrating at the show.  The managed service delivers a number of key benefits, including increased mobility, as users can access it from any PC over the Internet.

An additional benefit is that data is housed securely and automatically backed up and secured, so customers do not run the risk of losing valuable data.  The managed service is also flexible, enabling users to increase their subscription if needed with no local installation required, and streamlining licence and maintenance costs under a single managed service agreement.