Contour Homes, a registered social landlord, has been recognised for its use of myworld, a revolutionary new concept for supported living schemes designed by Tunstall Healthcare, the leading provider of telehealth and telecare solutions.

myworld enables people who are new to technology to access a wealth of information including care messages, calendar updates and property maintenance functions, and the means to communicate with caregivers, family, friends and their community via email or video conferencing software, such as Skype.

A tablet-based suite of applications accessed via a specially designed user interface, myworld has been created to enhance independence by providing a secure environment for communication. It gives users control over important aspects of their day-to-day lives, allowing them to schedule appointments such as care visits, report property repairs or find out about social events. The system helps users feel valued and part of a community that values quality of life and independence, giving them an active role in shaping future services.

With myworld, providers can offer added value services to residents by providing digital access to advice and support, demonstrating a commitment to improving the resident experience. Managing information online, such as property maintenance and repairs, also enables efficient multi-site communication and can generate cost savings through increased productivity.

Gill Long, Independent Living Manager at Contour Homes said: "Contour Homes is passionate about providing its customers with excellent, innovative and efficient services, and is committed to continuously improving the support it offers. myworld is a revolutionary new concept in independent living that provides people who may be unfamiliar with using technology, complete access to a wealth of relevant information and the means to connect easily with family and friends."

Chris Dodd, Strategic Development Director at Tunstall Healthcare said: "A survey conducted by Associated Retirement Community Operators (ARCO) described loneliness as a 'hidden killer', after it was revealed that it increased the risk of death among older people by ten per cent. It is therefore vital that we don't let them suffer in silence, and we give them every opportunity to stay connected to their community, regardless of whether they are savvy with technology.

"Not only does myworld offer older people a solution to stay in touch with friends and family, but it also supports the effective delivery of care services by giving providers a solution that allows day-to-day requirements such as catering and repairs to be managed in a timely and efficient manner, by enabling them to communicate with residents using a simple yet intuitive platform."

Tunstall Telehealthcare on Show
Tunstall will show its range of telehealth and telecare solutions, including its next-generation monitoring centre software PNC7. Tunstall's latest PNC is a complete end-to-end web based solution that allows remote working for staff handling referrals, assessments, installations and asset management. PNC7 provides enhanced call handling capabilities, automated remote monitoring and programming, enabling providers to deliver a more efficient service.

With integrated SMS and a lone-worker module, which generates routine check-calls should a member of staff fail to respond, PNC7 features a range of updates including Information Manager, which uses data warehousing to provide business intelligence for analytics and reporting, on both call handling capability and service delivery processes. Information Manager also features a new dashboard, providing easy access to statistics on referral, assessment, installation and response times.

Tunstall will also highlight results from some of its key telehealthcare programmes as part of its Best Practice Review, which provides an insight into best practice case studies, articles and evidence reviews.

In addition to this, Tunstall will also demonstrate its myclinic portable telehealth solution and mymedicII telehealth unit, which are designed to help people with long-term health needs who live at home monitor their own conditions, enabling each user to carry out a health assessment at pre-set times to ensure timely intervention, while improving understanding of their health.

To find out more about Tunstall's latest telecare products and services, visit stand 37-40.

Related news articles:

• Tunstall's Profile

About Tunstall
Tunstall Healthcare Group is the market leading provider of telehealthcare solutions, with over 3.6 million users globally. Tunstall's solutions support older people and those with long-term needs, helping them to live independently by effectively managing their health and well-being. Its solutions have been proven effective in the world's largest telehealthcare trial. Tunstall provides technology, services, expertise and advice to millions of people enabling them to lead independent more fulfilling lives.