Tomorrow we are holding a half day seminar with
http://www.nesta.org.uk/, on how the web could help shape the future of care for older people.
What does the future hold for social care? In last year’s ‘Shaping the Future Together’ green paper, the government outlined the need for drastic changes to care for older people. We need better, more responsive services, with greater focus on dignity in care and a more personalised approach to service provision. But how can we reconcile this demand with the crisis in the public finances?
The web may be a part of the solution. The online world has already transformed the way we book a holiday, buy a camera, and share the snaps. Whole sectors – media, music, finance, publishing – are being turned upside down. And there are already some powerful examples of the impact that the web can have on public services: with sites that support citizen engagement in politics; help people to improve their neighbourhood; or help patients improve their local NHS. How could the web contribute to older people’s care?
The government has recently announced a new £2.9m ‘Get Digital’ programme - meaning that nearly 20,000 people living in sheltered housing will soon be ‘switched on’ to the internet. So now is the perfect time to ask if the web can provide innovative solutions to help transform care for older people.
For the last year Patient Opinion has been piloting work with older people’s care online and we know that there are many inspired, motivated and passionate people working in older people’s care. This seminar will bring together people from the care sector with web professionals who are equally passionate about using the web as a tool for social innovation. It will explore how, together, we might use the new tools of the web in the service of care for older people. There will be plenty of new ideas – but also plenty of practical examples of what is already being done.
Follow the action live on twitter, using #care10. Results from the day will be online - and we'll post them up here.
The programme looks exciting - do take a look:
Care homes seminar programme_final v4.DOCX (19.22 kb)
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