Declan Murphy
CEO, Isaac Care
Care within the community is urgently due an upgrade, with hospitals feeling strained and home support services stretched since long before the pandemic. The HSE has reported that 2 million hours of home help will not be delivered this year.
Solutions are required to make home-based care more efficient and to support family carers.
The Stay Left, Shift Left strategy from eHealth Ireland, as part of Sláintecare’s vision of integrated care, aims to shift from acute care to care within the community. Care within home settings has been shown to keep costs low while also enhancing quality through digital applications, data and technology.
The time is now
Declan Murphy, CEO of Isaac Care, says bringing community and home-based care into the 21st century will make it more effective.
“Care being delivered in the community hasn’t really changed since the days of Florence Nightingale,” he says.“ But now, after the pandemic, the time is right for health services to explore and invest in technology to help people be proactive in the prevention of health issues while monitoring their health and wellbeing at home when needed.”
Effective monitoring
They offer a set of remote monitoring devices such as fall alarms, in-home sensors and health monitoring equipment, all of which transmit information to the Isaac Care app.
The service also allows users to monitor health and wellbeing over time, using markers such as weight, pulse oxygen levels and heart rate.
The service enables health services and caregivers to access information to improve care for issues including dementia, diabetes, respiratory issues and fall risks.
Care being delivered in the community hasn’t really changed since the days of Florence Nightingale.
Peace of mind
“This integrated care service allows clinicians, family members and service users themselves to be involved in sharing appropriate data, enhancing someone’s life and preventing them from going into hospital,” says Murphy.
“If hospital admission is required, the peace of mind provided by the technology, backed up by round-the-clock telecare support and first responders, can accelerate discharge,” Murphy adds.
“There are patients in hospitals who need to go home but don’t have the appropriate support or package of care in place. We can offer the technology and personal care to place them back at home.”
Inclusive technology
“We have used our 20+ years of experience in the care industry to inform the design of the Isaac Care platform. It is simple and extremely user-friendly.”
“As a result, we have a high level of engagement even from older people who are tech-agnostic,” explains Murphy. “No one needs to be a tech wizard to use it.”