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Wiltshire Council is part of technology pilot to help people maintain independence

Wiltshire Council has received £75,000 in funding as part of a national scheme to help involve older residents in shaping new digital services

Published 6 September 2022

Wiltshire Council has received £75,000 in funding as part of a national scheme to help involve older residents in shaping new digital services.

Dairy View, an extra care housing scheme in Wiltshire, will be part of the pioneering project which will use technology to help people maintain independence.

The funding is part of the pioneering TAPPI project (Technology for our Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation) which aims to improve the way technology is used in housing and care for older people through ten practical principles.

Wiltshire is part of a wider project involving other housing providers across the UK.

Led by the Housing Learning and Improvement Network (Housing LIN), the TEC Services Association (TSA) and funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, the TAPPI project will be co-produced with residents of the various testbeds over the next 12 - 15 months. 

Each housing organisation will engage a diverse range of older people to test different devices, apps and systems across a variety of housing settings. Residents will be given shared responsibility, alongside staff, to make decisions about which digital support services to develop.

Cllr Jane Davies, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said: "It is important that older people who need support are given the opportunity to live their lives fully and independently. Harnessing the benefits of modern technology so they can enjoy this independence for longer is going to be a key part of all our plans for the future.  Testing this new technology at one of our extra care homes is an exciting development which will help us understand more of how we can use Technology Enabled Care to help people for the future.  We're looking forward to working with staff and residents to monitor this innovative project and see the positive impact on everyday lives."

It is hoped that this approach will help those participating to create digital services that are determined by their residents, alongside the professionals and staff that support them.

In Wiltshire the TAPPI work will involve partnership working between Housing 21 which operates Dairy View, Appello, National Care Forum and Aquarate.

Professor Roy Sandbach OBE, TAPPI Chair and former Director of the National Innovation Centre for Ageing, Newcastle University said: "The TAPPI principles will only be of value if they are applied in practice, and I'm thrilled that many housing and care organisations applied to become TAPPI testbeds. Those chosen will provide insights from a range of settings and, most importantly, will put users at the heart of this work. We'll use the TAPPI principles and a co-production approach to develop digital services that address real-life problems of older people. I'm very excited to work with our six new testbed sites."

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