The Role of Technology in Enhancing Domiciliary Care: A Strategy for Reducing Healthcare Costs and Improving Safety for Aged Adults and Carers

Abstract

Traditional healthcare systems are overburdened with the rise in chronic diseases and age of the global population. One such crucial alternative was domiciliary care (or homecare) which offered individuals to receive necessary care within the confines of their homes. This paper explores the use-case and functionality of technology supporting domiciliary care for older people, from increasing independent living capacity to reducing health system costs by improving safety both of carers as well aged adults. We take a tour of every modern day technology, which include telehealth, faraway tracking units, aids in tools and clever houses. The potential of these technologies to support domiciliary care provision lies in the facilities they offer for remote consultations, medication reminders, fall detection and real-time communication between patients, carers and health professionals. The purpose of this article is to propose strategic technology integration within domiciliary care as a solution for reducing hospital readmissions and limiting inpatient stay, thus driving unnecessary potential health catastrophes which will eventually lead to lower healthcare costs.Next, we discuss how technology can be used to reduce the caregiver burden and improve patient safety among older adults living independently by using automation. This paper offers insights on the economic and social gains of technology-enabled domiciliary care based on reviewed literature and case studies. We end with the challenges associated to this sector in terms of widespread technology adoption and implications on ethics advocating for simple designs, data privacy procedures and access equity as prerequisites that need careful attention while planning a go to implementation.