TEC Ready: Tablet for the Patient

Tighean Innse Gall (TIG) submitted an application for funding to the SFHA for the TEC Ready programme in March 2017 for a project which would promote the use of digital materials to inform clients and their families of the bespoke services TIG provides. 

‘A Tablet for the Patient’ project uses android tablets which show short movie clips. TIG being a bi-lingual organisation, had the movie clips developed in both English and Gaelic, with the addition of subtitles, also both in English and Gaelic for those with hearing impediments. 

TIG’s Care and Repair officers will be able to show clients what the work looks like before and after and prepare them for any disruption that may be caused during installation, providing an opportunity for families or carers to devise suitable arrangements for the client. 

‘A tablet for the patient’ will be delivered by Tighean Innse Gall’s Quality Mark awarded Care and Repair Team and is aimed at the elderly and vulnerable in need of support to live safely in their own homes. This service will be available across the Western Isles, aimed at clients and their families who require information on the work that TIG can carry out on properties.

Heather Laing, SFHA TEC Ready Coordinator said, 
 
“We are pleased to support the ‘Tablet for the Patient’ project.  

“We are  excited at the use of technology to support individuals remain in their home, and the use of  technology to enable friends and families to access information about how to help individuals remain independent in their community with safety and confidence.”
 
The use of android tablets and short videos has been a success. The ability to immediately see the work and ask a trained member of staff what happens at different stages is key. 

If clients have a relative acting on their behalf who isn’t present at the time, these family members can be sent a link to the dedicated YouTube channel to view the videos, and a link to TIG’s website which contains information on the works available.

Stewart Wilson, TIG CEO, said:

“Tighean Innse Gall are committed to delivering the best service possible.  

“With more and more of our clients being elderly or vulnerable and needing the support of family and carers, we recognised the need for a more technologically advanced approach to showing what we can offer.  

“These short movie clips are an educational tool particularly for family and carers, showing the process of the work and the final result. The ‘Technology Enabled Care’ programme aims to support clients to live well and safely in their own homes, and we are glad to have had the support of the SFHA in this project.” 

After the success of this project TIG would like to continue to improve its digital platforms and the use of technology to inform their clients on all of the services it can offer.

Pictured: Iain Macleod and client