Ian Reston on his work connecting the elderly in Leicestershire, England

Overview. The number of people in Leicestershire over 65, disabled or working as unpaid Carers is over 100,000. Many of these people could improve their quality of life and help themselves to be more independent through gaining access to computers along with developing the skills and confidence to use them. The Leicestershire CareOnline Digital Inclusion project aims to meet these needs. It is focused on maintaining a clear, simple website that provides thousands of entries relevant to the need for information on Health, Housing, Social Care and other local support services.

It’s Not about the Technology . It’s about addressing the needs of each individual. Living alone they may need communication; disabled they may need services, or depressed they may need stimulation.

After a successful pilot CareOnLine was adopted into the mainstream of Social Services and County e-government, we achieved very good results as illustrated in 3 sample cases below:

Cases:

Doris keeps in touch.
Doris is 91 and lives in Sheltered Accommodation. She has some friends there but her family are all abroad – one son lives in Australia and the other in Africa – so she may not see them for years at a time. When CareOnLine installed a computer in the lounge of her home she was interested but unsure what benefit it would bring. The manager said that Doris was having trouble with her hearing and telephone calls were getting increasingly difficult. E-mail was suggested as a possible solution and training was provided.

When Doris fell and broke her hip the following year the Housing Manager was able to give her sons regular updates (which she could not have done on the telephone). Four years later Doris is a regular user of the computer and sees pictures of grandchildren she has never met. She still needs the assurance that the Housing Manager is there to help out if needed but her family feel much nearer than before and she now also has a new hobby to stimulate her.

Computer fever helps Ray's illness.
Raymond is 85. In 2001 he volunteered for training on a computer installed by CareOnLine at his Sheltered Housing living setting. He had low expectations of himself but the training helped to motivate him. 
Raymond suffered 18 months of illness and wanted a computer of his own, so his grandson helped him to install one. He asked CareOnLine for help and had a course of lessons at home. His doctor noticed his interest and encouraged him to use the computer to promote mental activity and reduce time he spent worrying about his condition.

Raymond is now very confident and collects information to help other residents. He has typed letters to the British Prime Minister, on subjects he feels strongly about - something he says he would not previously have had the confidence to do.

George gets out and finds a wife.
2002. George was alone, isolated, vulnerable and ill. He had several support needs. When the CareOnLine team first visited he was depressed about the chances of reaching his 80th birthday.

2003. CareOnLine provided training and support, and a friendly face to help him at home. He started to use e-mail and make new friends through the CareOnLine community. He started to socialise and was being drawn back into society and becoming more hopeful.

2004. Now 82, full of hope and confidence George found a dating agency on the Internet and met a lady who lived only 20 miles away. It led to marriage within months; George said “At my time of life you can’t afford to mess about!” With his new wife and friends, he no longer worries about his health, he is independent and happy.

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