A report by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) is proving that appropriate use of equipment can deliver significant savings in care costs.
The report- Relieving the Pressure on Social Care The Value of Occupational Therapy- maintains how optimised client independence through technology can increase people’s ability to perform everyday activities with little or no help by 49%. In one county council alone, use of technology to enable single handed care in place of double handed care achieved annual savings of almost £0.5m.
The findings have been welcomed by Closomat, Britain’s leading provider of independent toilet technology. “It pays to use technology, equipment in place of people, where appropriate,” observes Robin Tuffley, Closomat marketing manager. “The RCOT report is the latest to prove the value of equipment in alleviating pressure on social care funding.
“Our own research indicates that for the cost of buying one of our wash & dry toilets, enabling someone to ‘go’ without the need for care intervention, is just 25% of the annual cost of providing care support for the same function. That means four people are given independence, dignity & control over this very intimate aspect of their life instead of just one. Therefore, the right equipment, in the right situation, reaps massive rewards in every aspect of the social care chain.”
Going to the toilet is one of the biggest barriers for people to live independently: the bathroom is the room most frequently adapted under Disabled Facilities Grants, and the toilet the fixture most commonly altered. Ability to use a toilet is one of the primary activities of daily living (ADL) used as a measure for care intervention.
A Closomat Palma Vita wash & dry toilet means that someone who would otherwise struggle to use the WC without help can address their intimate hygiene needs without care intervention, enabling the need for two carers to be reduced to one, or even eliminated. Its ability to be accessorised means it delivers a ‘lifetime’/ future-proof solution.
