‘Leicestershire CareOnLine’ Julia’s story 2010.

‘Leicestershire CareOnLine’ Julia’s story 2010.

Julia is 56 and lives alone. She has learning difficulties and lost her job over 2 years ago. Julia became very low, lost her confidence and felt very isolated as her sister lives in the USA and her daughters are away at college. Julia had no computer experience and admitted being “quite frightened” of them. Breaking the Barriers (Leicestershire Adult Social Care service helping people with disabilities gain new skills and find work) referred Julia to CareOnLine to see if they could help.

Following an assessment of need, CareOnLine provided Julia with a Laptop and helped with accessing the internet and email. The CareOnLine Training Officer visited regularly to encourage her to gain confidence and new skills. Working with CareOnLine, Breaking the Barriers and Leicestershire Adult learning Service, Julia found specialist courses on confidence-building, literacy and numeracy and employability. Julia has subsequently passed computer and Adult Literacy courses using the computer to access internet learning and complete her course work.

Julia now works as a volunteer in her local Library twice a week and is actively looking for a new job. Since mastering email Julia is now able to communicate with her family and friends, making her feel less isolated.

Julia says: ‘I was a computer novice. I felt left behind, ignorant and out of touch with the world, now I am much happier, having the computer has given me a new perspective on my life. I feel much more confident and have now bought my own laptop.’

Leicestershire CareOnLine during Carers Week

Leicestershire CareOnLine during Carers week June 2010

“Older people, technology and community.”

Leicestershire CareOnLine features in this report as one of a very few projects across the UK which use technology to address social isolation. The report says:

“There were very few examples of projects with a specific focus on using technology to address social isolation. However, we identified four examples of sustained good practice
– Digital Unite, CareOnLine, INtouch kirklees and Angus Gold (the latter three are all public sector projects …”

“These projects have each begun to apply technology creatively to enable older people to make connections, build social networks and actively engage in their communities. They have some other key features in common that further address the issues identified in the
previous section:
· Good design, including appropriate interfaces for the target group;
· Training focused on how older people want to use technology;
· Ongoing support from a trusted source;
· Low costs for participants.”

The report highlights one of the founding principles of the CareOnLine service philosophy, namely:
“Training and ongoing support help older people overcome some of their anxieties, build skills and develop their confidence in using technology... What we lack is the human element: the people and programmes to deliver the necessary training and support.”

In the recommendations for the voluntary and public sectors the report says:

“communications technologies can help prevent and alleviate social isolation and loneliness among older people. To realise the potential inherent in these technologies, we need to develop and support intermediaries who can empower older people by educating them about communications technology and the benefits it can bring. With the right support, older people will have the ability to become part of the solution, for example, by participating in peer-to-peer support schemes.”

“few Local authorities and primary care trusts have made the connection between access to
technology and the broader issue of helping older people stay healthy, happy, independent and engaged in society.”



Full report available at http://www.independentage.org.uk/publications

Welcome to Leicestershire's CareOnLine

CareOnLine is an award winning service provided by Leicestershire County Council's Adults and Communities, to help vulnerable adults in the community, such as Older People, People with Disabilities and Carers to use computers and the Internet.

We provide a home visit service for advice, support and training to people who have difficulty leaving their home. Our services are designed for people with little or no previous experience of using a computer or people who can no longer use them because of medical condition or age. We can talk to you about how a computer can help your life; you might want information on home care services, have shopping delivered to your door or explore new ways of keeping in touch with family and friends you no longer see. We look for ways to help improve your life and advise on the best equipment to meet your needs.

Our aim is to enable as many people as possible to become familiar and comfortable with computers and help you gain the confidence to use them on your own.
CareOnLine was set up to improve the quality of life of vulnerable adults by:
Reducing isolation and social exclusion.

Making information and services more accessible to everyone.
Provide access to information in your own home at any time of the day or night.
Helping people to retain their independence and make their own decisions.



Visit Our Website at: http://www.leicscareonline.org.uk/

Our email: leicestershirecareonline@leics.gov.uk.

Telephone: 0116 305 7538