|
A Room with a Web View:
Silver Surfers in Wiltshire’s Residential Care Homes supplied with PCs and Internet
Residents of Wiltshire care homes will be able to indulge in chat room capers and email antics, while relatives will be able to video Skype with Gran thanks to a scheme in which The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT – http://www.osjct.co.uk), a not for profit care provider for older people, has arranged for Data Vision Europe Limited (DVE – http://www.dve.net), a local IT specialist, to supply its care homes with equipment for its ‘Computers for Residents’ programme.
The scheme, which is being introduced across the trust’s 20 Wiltshire care homes from DATE, means that silver surfers really will rule the web with a range of new-fangled computer and internet facilities at their fingertips, in their very own rooms.
The scheme has come about as a result of OSJCT obtaining a £190,000 government grant to improve the wellbeing and fulfilment of life for older people in its care homes. OSJCT decided to internet-enable its residents, and commissioned DVE to supply WebSkate computers in each care home, offering a range of facilities designed for ease of use by older and frailer people.
The units are mobile pedestal models with Wi-Fi technology, so they can be used anywhere in the home. They are equipped with touch screens and large keyboards, and installed with internet software - including Skype phone and web camera - so the silver surfers can communicate easily with family and friends.
Diane Bowden, OSJCT county director for Wiltshire, says: “The world is a much smaller place today and people’s loved ones are often scattered across the UK and further afield. And, as our daily lives have gathered pace, the era of the lengthy handwritten letter has passed, in favour of emails and texts used by the ‘younger generation’ and ‘silver surfers’ alike. With the introduction of computers in our care homes, residents will be able to stay in touch with their families, regardless of geographic distance.”
She adds: “Individual email accounts will mean that family photos and news can be sent and received immediately. Imagine the difference it will make for residents to see their families’ birthdays, weddings and christenings more or less as they happen. And what fun for our residents to send footage back, showing Mum (or Grandma) dipping her toes in the sea on a sunny day trip to Weston!”
Mike Kellond at DVE says: “Thanks to the OSJCT contract, a great number of silver surfers who may otherwise be cut off from family members will be able to keep in touch frequently and easily using our equipment. Who knows what they will get up to online!”
|
