The headline could be rewritten as “Growing public support for AI use in elderly care uncovered by experts as they unveil innovative care service.”

Taking Care Leads the Way in Transforming Elderly Care with Innovative AI and Big Data Solution

Thursday 3 October, 2024 – Taking Care, the UK’s leading personal alarm provider, is revolutionizing elderly care with the launch of ActiveAlert, an innovative technology that uses AI and Big Data to proactively monitor the wellbeing of older adults.

Designed to address the challenges of caregiving and meet the growing public acceptance of technology in elderly care, ActiveAlert combines insights from 30 years of alarm call data to identify potential health and wellbeing concerns among older adults who rely on personal alarms.

Through a sophisticated algorithm, ActiveAlert detects changes in the frequency, timing, or nature of alarm calls, triggering a wellbeing check-in call to older adults and alerting family members to potential health concerns. This early warning system allows for proactive steps to be taken to support the older adult and manage their health, reducing the need for reactive care and supporting independence in later life.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of this innovation, transforming elderly care from reactive to proactive,” says Andrew Ridpath, Head of Emergency Resolution at Taking Care. “ActiveAlert is a game-changer, providing peace of mind for families and supporting older adults to live independently at home for longer.”

Recent research commissioned by Taking Care highlights the pressing need for proactive elderly care solutions:

– Only 26% of people say they have the time to provide around-the-clock care for their older relatives.
– 64% are concerned about their older relatives living alone.
– 76% would support the use of AI if it enhances health and independence for older adults.
– 72% believe innovations in technology can truly support health and wellbeing.

With more than 3.2m people aged 80 and above in the UK and insights from the NHS showing that one in two of these will likely have at least one fall this year alone, reactive elderly care could be costing the health service in excess of £350m a year. Taking Care’s ActiveAlert solution aims to alleviate this strain by providing early intervention and reducing the need for emergency services.

ActiveAlert has been developed as part of Taking Care’s commitment to revolutionize its approach to elderly care, shifting from a reactive to a proactive mindset. The company also offers support to the “sandwich generation”, made up of more than 10m informal carers, who often struggle to check on family members regularly due to location, lifestyle, or work and family commitments.

Amanda Amory from Cambridgeshire, who invested in a Taking Care personal alarm for her 85-year-old father, Ron, after he broke his elbow in a fall, praises the ActiveAlert feature. “Thanks to ActiveAlert, knowing if he is pressing his alarm more regularly during the night or on the odd occasion he is alone allows us to better understand his mental wellbeing, along with knowing there’s always support in place, at all times,” she says.

Taking Care’s ActiveAlert is now available to all new personal alarm customers at no additional cost, seamlessly integrating into their existing 24/7 support service. To discover how ActiveAlert can provide peace of mind for your family, visit ActiveAlert online at https://taking.care/pages/active-alert.

About Taking Care Personal Alarms, part of AXA Health

Taking Care, a subsidiary of AXA Health, has been providing personal alarm services for more than 30 years and has helped ¼ million people and their families across the UK. Each year, Taking Care resolves over 49,900 customer emergencies from older and vulnerable people, providing peace of mind for both customers and their families. The company is the only Which? approved personal alarm service and is the trusted provider of the Age Co Personal Alarm Service. Taking Care employs around 250 staff, each carefully chosen for their caring and professional manner.

For more information, please visit taking.care or follow Taking Care on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Contact Details

For more information, please contact:

John Swaffield

Email: john.swaffield@ppptakingcare.co.uk

Phone: 07909 820 701

Sources

Survey of 2,009 UK adults commissioned by Taking Care and carried out between the 13th and 19th of September 2024
2021 Census data
NHS.uk Falls and Prevention
Taking Care Elderly People and Falls report
Projecting Older People Population Information (POPPI)

Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.

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