Housing & Care 21 is now using an internet of things-based care system from Appello at one of its housing developments in County Durham.
The new digital system, designed, installed and maintained by Appello, and manufactured by Green Access, offers an accelerated connection of just under three seconds to Appello’s 24/7 emergency Careline service, enhanced quality of two-way speech, and the capacity to connect multiple fire, door access and emergency calls from the housing development through to Appello simultaneously. Other benefits include room-to-room calling (which can be video enabled to support social inclusion), easy integration of other digital services and the ability to transfer large amounts of data.
Tony Tench, chief operating officer, Housing & Care 21, said, “Traditional analogue systems don’t provide modern two-way conversations and they can take a long time to connect, so it makes little sense to offer this to our residents when we can now use digital and IP technologies, such as those provided by Appello. At a practical level, we’re taking the stance that all new developments, and replacements at existing developments, should be digital.”
Carl Atkey, chief technology officer, Appello, said, “The move from analogue to digital or IP systems is the first step in transforming housing. The benefits are clear for both providers and residents, from vastly improved response times to telecare monitoring centres, insight into data and activity to provide intelligent care, costs savings, as well as improved trust and wellbeing among residents.”
