TAPPI Cast – 30 June 2023

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Welcome to TAPPI Cast, our weekly update on the 'Technology for our Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation' (TAPPI) project which aims to improve the way technology is used in housing and care for older people. Includes updates from our 6 Testbeds, Resources and Events of interest.

The TAPPI team had the pleasure of attending CIH's Housing 2023 in Manchester earlier this week. Our presence at the event served two purposes. Firstly, in collaboration with TSA, the Housing LIN supported the Specialist Housing Stream, focusing on unlocking personalised outcomes, designing and delivering homes for those with specialist housing needs, and providing better options for housing across our growing older population. 

Additionally, TSA organised a 3-day TEC Theatre, supported by Housing LIN, with a focus on proactive and preventative care, harnessing the strength of co-production, housing at the heart of integration, and transforming quality and safety within TEC services in housing. We were fortunate to welcome TAPPI insights from: 

  • Chair of the TAPPI steering board, Professor Roy Sandbach OBE 
  • Debra Edwards (opens new window), TAPPI Co-production champion, Haringey 
  • Alyson Scurfield, Chief Executive at TSA 
  • Jeremy Porteus, CEO at Housing LIN 
  • Dr Lynne Douglas, Chief Executive at Bield 
  • Nathan Downing, Director of Membership and Consultancy Services at TSA 
  • Steve Sadler, Technology strategist at TSA 

A full account of our attendance at CIH's Housing 2023 can be found on Twitter (opens new window).

Next week we look forward to celebrating Co-production Week 2023 (opens new window) by publishing a new set of Personal Stories told in the authentic voices of the TAPPI Champions, covering the positives and negatives of digital technology, peoples’ hopes and fears and highlight how technology can be both a blessing and a curse.

Updates from our Testbeds:

The fabulous Debra Edwards, resident and TAPPI Co-production Champion in Haringey took the stage this week at CIH's conference Housing 2023 to give a thought-provoking presentation on the importance of health, housing, and social care, and best practices around community housing and co-production.

She was joined by TAPPI Chair, Roy Sandbach OBE, Housing LIN CEO Jeremy Porteus, and Lynn Douglas from the TAPPI Scottish testbed Bield. Find out more about Debra's personal story here (opens new window).

The individuals we support at Llys Y Werin, our Extra Care Service in Gorseinon, have been introduced to Cascade 3d – an innovative technology solution, which could add an extra layer of safety and reassurance to their day to day lives.

Despite a bit of a shaky start, where individuals were concerned about cameras in their room, they eventually came to be enthusiastic about what the tech had to offer. There were six individuals present at the demo, all with varying levels of mobility and technological know-how. The main concern from everyone in the room was that they wanted to keep their independence, without losing their privacy. Find out more here (opens new window).

Monday saw a big step forward for Harling Court resident Brian during our weekly TAPPI workshops.

Brian had never used anything more technical than a tele, but over the last couple of months he's been busy getting to grips with his new tablet. His incentive is to video call family in America unaided and this week he successfully sent his first email to his daughter across the pond, complete with photographs. It was wonderful to be with Brian when he received a reply- his message had been a fabulous surprise to the family.

The Technology for an Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation Project is giving Platform a wonderful opportunity to improve the safety, independence and connectivity of our older residents and highlights the need for identifying the needs and desires of individuals.

This week we have fitted Alexa bundles for two of the residents at Dairy View – one of whom is Vicky whose Personal Story we look forward to publishing next week to coincide with Co-Production Week 2023 – she is enjoying the ease and fun of the Alexa:

‘I use Alexa for the lights all the time and listening to the radio. I love musicals and am getting ready to watch Hamilton at Bristol Hippodrome next year so am listening and singing along in my flat via Alexa.  I would like my TV and other lights paired up and I now know how easy it is.’

The Bield team have been conducting a mid-project review this week, looking at successes and how we are doing against the initial targets set in the charter. We are very happy with progress and will be discussing lessons learned and next steps alongside the review.

Our CEO, Lynne, has also been attending the Housing 2023 conference and sharing Bield’s learning around TAPPI, co-production and why housing should be central to systems change by putting people at the centre.

Publications of interest:

Interoperability between housing and social care:
driving better outcomes for residents to keep them safe and well

In this TAPPI guest blog, Emma Mahy, CEO & Founder of IoT Solutions Group, highlights the growing traction in TEC for interoperability between housing and social care. It focuses on a case study sharing insights as well as comments from experts in the TEC and Housing fields about the importance of this within-organisation interoperability.

Next Week:

Monday 3 July is the start of Co-production Week! Hosted by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), it celebrates the collaboration of people who draw on care and support with people who work in care and support to design and develop better ways of doing things.

To coincide we look forward to publishing a new set of Personal Stories told in the authentic voices of the TAPPI Champions, covering the positives and negatives of digital technology, peoples’ hopes and fears and highlight how technology can be both a blessing and a curse.