Safety education centre SkillZONE has joined forces with Gloucestershire Telecare to help older people stay safe and independent at home.
Visitors to SkillZONE’s interactive village can move through different safety scenarios from household safety to road safety and experience danger in each area. Currently over 70 percent of the visitors to SkillZONE are school trips but through working with Telecare the partners hope to reach more older people with their important safety messages.
Telecare has now fitted SkillZONE’s house with a range of specialist equipment it uses to support people to live independently and at home for longer. The sensors help to manage risks such as medication management or falls, shop and also detect potential emergencies at home such as fires, seek carbon monoxide detectors and floods. These are linked to a 24 hour monitoring centre with trained operators.
Cllr Dorcas Binns, cabinet member for older people, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for partners to work together for the benefit of our older community and their families. Educating young people through the centre will also raise awareness of Telecare as we hope that they will be able to pass on this invaluable information to others.”
Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, cabinet member for fire and safety, said: “SkillZONE already teach about fire safety and personal safety in the home and we are pleased to add the Telecare equipment to our house so we can raise the profile of this excellent service for those who need it.”
Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service already works with Telecare to identify people who may need specialist equipment to stay safe in their homes. Together they identify, provide and fit the equipment ensuring a joined up approach to home safety.