RFID solutions to support home telecare information flows

Home Telecare is defined as the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to increase support for people living will illness or disability in their normal activities of daily living, the management of their condition and in their communication with health providers. With an ageing population, New Zealand needs to increase the effort devoted to caring for people with long-term conditions (LTC) in their own homes and Home Telecare is one possible solution. In this paper we discuss the need for increased investment and better management of information for home-based chronic care and disease management. Telecare systems have the potential to enhance the management and integration of home based care through the provision of automated information collected from home telecare or assisted living systems. An example of a novel telecare system, based on the use of radio frequency identification systems is given. This system might be able to assist with finding objects as well as being able to monitor activity in some detail. The potential information flows from this system are described. The information flows that are generated by telecare systems may become important part of the management of long-term and chronic conditions. Issues arising from the use of automated information from home-based care systems are discussed and some potential avenues for improvement and future research are offered.