THE ANDALUSIAN TELECARE SERVICE: A PROACTIVE APPROACH IN TIMES OF CHANGES

The Andalusian Telecare Service (SAT) is one of the largest telecare service in Europe with more than 242.700 users and handling an average of 630.000 calls a month (data from June2021). It is a public service stemming from the Regional Ministry for Equality, Social Policies and Conciliation of Andalusia with the objectives of promoting personal autonomy, improving quality of life and facilitating healthy ageing of elderly people, people with disabilities and people in a dependent situation.

From its conception in 2002, the service has been designed as a proactive service, supported by different technical solutions and mechanisms to try and improve the quality of life of its users. Over the years the main reason for calling our service has been the need for social contact and support. We understand that the wellbeing and social support of our users has a positive impact on their health status and therefore on the public expenditure.  Given the size and heterogeneity of our users, there has been a need to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of the service by adapting it to specific profiles and situations.  This has been achieved by developing specific solutions such as: APPs and mobile devices to improve the accessibility to the service, collect information and measure key indicators on the users general habits and lifestyle; setting gas and smoke detectors to increase the safety of our users; providing specific campaigns to alert and prevent risk situations such as the flu campaign, heat wave campaign and  preventing isolation through the christmas campaign;  or supporting the health service in the provision of medical appointments and medical advice, specially over the last year with the COVID-19 pandemic. Granting access to these health services  allowed SAT users to get GP appointments and advice through the telecare service with more than 87.000 GP appointments provided through the SAT from March 2020 to June 2021, relieving the health service of its high workload and providing a more interactive and integrated health and care service.

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IN4AHA integrated care TELECARE Active and Healthy Ageing active healthy ageing HEALTHYLIVING EUageing PERSONALAUTONOMY well-being DIGITALSOLUTIONS