iCarer 01
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Intelligent Care Guidance and Learning Services Platform for Informal Carers of the Elderly-Field Trials
IRAS ID
173918
Contact name
Louise Walton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 0 days
Research summary
The iCarer project is to investigate whether informal carers of older adults could be supported in their caring by IT. The older adult would have sensors in key places around their home which would monitor them and infer their usual patterns of behaviour. These monitors could then alert the carer if they picked up any unusual activity/lack of activity which would enable them to leave the older adult. As part of the study the informal carer would be required to leave the older adult for periods amounting to two hours per week. Alongside the monitoring activity there will be a tablet computer for the informal carer to give feedback on and answer questionnaires on behalf of themselves and the older adult. The tablet would display a daily care plan of activities to be performed either by the informal carer on behalf of or with the older adult up to four times per day. The informal carer will provide feedback on the care plan activities once a day via the tablet. Depending on the behaviours of the older adult picked up on by the monitoring, the tablet will be able to signpost the informal carer to learning opportunities, in the form of short videos, to support their caring. There will also be a platform for a carer’s forum so that they can support one another.
The study is not a clinical trial as defined by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
15/IEC08/0059
Date of REC Opinion
17 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion