Connecting Care is a project led by Lasa, a UK charity, to promote digital inclusion among care providers. It aims to help small charitable care organizations make better use of technology. The document outlines challenges some care providers face with technology, such as lack of backups, paper-based records, and poor IT support. It also lists benefits technology can provide, such as online savings and communication tools. The project works with independent care homes, day centers and agencies, providing resources on its website about using tablets, smartphones, and other technologies for care services and communication.

1. Connecting Care
Making The Most Of Technology
Miles Maier – Project Manager
Paul Webster – Community Builder & Technology Consultant

2. About Lasa
“Lasa helps thousands of third sector and government
organisations across the UK to deliver efficient, high quality
services. We are a charity which offers knowledge, support
and resources.”
25+ years in the charity sector
• Technology leadership, publications, events and
consultancy
• www.lasa.org.uk/ict
Welfare Rights
• Advising advice workers
• www.rightsnet.org.uk

3. What is Connecting Care?
• Digital inclusion - making better use of technology
• Working with charitable care providers
• Dept. of Health funded to 2016
More information at:
• http://ictknowledgebase.org.uk/connectingcare

4. Who are we working with
at the moment?
• Small independent providers of care in charity sector
• Day care centres, independent living centres, care
homes, care agencies
• Covering all of England, most in the North

5. The Scary
Parts…

6. The Scary Part
• Large organisation not backing up data
• ‘Networking' files via a USB stick
• Reception PC shared by two organisations
• No budget for strategic IT
• Paper based care records
• Importance of ICT not recognised by Trustees
• Poor service by ICT Suppliers
• No ICT Support plan in place
• Emails printed for CEO with no PC

7. The Good
Parts...

8. The Good Parts
• Dedication by volunteers
• Activities Co-ordinator using Skype and Youtube
• Many homes with Wi-Fi
• Potential of tablet devices
• Potential of online to offer significant cost & time savings
• IT Training suites & eager learners
• Facebook to tell good news stories

9. Exclusion Barriers
• 18% of Adults have never been online
• Accessibility - hardware, software, websites
• Skills – lack of online skills – build confidence
•
(29% UK Online Learners have disability)
• Cost – of equipment and connections
• Knowledge – jargon that puts people off
• Connection – rural broadband
• Help - AbilityNet, Online Basics

10. Finding the right tool for the task
http://nptechuk.wordpress.com/sms-links/
From Flickr – Claire Sutton and justinbaeder

11. Resources

12. Our Top 5 not-for-profit
tech websites
1 ICT Knowledgebase – 500 articles about making
most of technology in a small org
2 Community How To – covers main digital websites
with reviews & intro guides
3 KnowHow NonProfit – marketing & comms guides
for small charities that you can edit
4 SCIE – wide range of free e-learning courses
covering health & social care topics
5 Digital Unite – guides you can print to help get
started with tech

13. Using tablets/smart
phones in care
For staff and the organisation
• A portable way to access care plans & record case notes
• As a mobile office reducing time, travel & paperwork
• See http://apps.nhs.uk/ & http://www.iautism.info/en
For residents and service users
• BIG Launcher
• 'Memory Trainer' & 'Brainy App‘ help with
Alzheimer's and Dementia
• Activities – Youtube, Flickr, Streetview for reminiscence
• Keep in touch – Skype & Google Hangouts
• Skills – Choiceboard Creator, Life Skills Winner
• Games – Pocket Pond, Talking Tom Cat

14. Technology ideas for work with older people ...
• My Home Helper: https://www.myhomehelper.co.uk
• assists with daily routines for individuals living with memory
loss
• Skype Bingo
• Berneslai Homes linked sheltered schemes to play Bingo over
Skype with webcams & large screens
• Eldy: http://www.eldy.eu/
http://www.welcometoalex.com/
• Turns any standard PC into an easy-to-use computer for
people that have never used a computer before
• Internet Buttons: http://www.internetbuttons.org/
• Removes complicated bits of the web to give easy access to
places you need

15. Tablet and mobile devices
• Tablet PCs becoming affordable – starting from £49, even
supermarket own brands.
• 12.2 million people own one, including around 1m of those
over 55 (Ofcom 2012)
• 30% of all UK web traffic from phone or tablet (ComScore – Dec 2012)
• 82% of all UK mobile phone sales are smart phones and 71%
of phones purchased by over 55's in Dec 2012 smartphones
• 19% of smartphone users aged over 55 (6.1 million people)

16. Lasa tech stuff….
Free lasa website tools:
• www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk
• www.suppliersdirectory.org.uk
Free lasa publications:
• Computanews bi-monthly technology newsletter
• http://storify.com/lasaict
Free technology events
• A series of flagship events on topical technology issues for
the third sector. TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON

17. Thank You
Miles Maier – Project Manager
mmaier@lasa.org.uk 020 7426 4496
Paul Webster – Community Builder & Technology Consultant
pwebster@lasa.org.uk 020 7426 4498