Introduction
This project sought to help London boroughs make effective use of Assistive Technology (AT) to enable residents to live more independently. Our work in this area focused on supporting public sector staff to make evidence-based decisions about the role and effectiveness of different ATs, and to conduct their own AT trials in a way that furthers the collective knowledge of the whole LOTI community.
Our work on this project began by creating a guide to designing and evaluating AT projects. ThenLOTI explored the potential of Assistive Technologies to support boroughs’ Covid response by supporting isolated individuals to live more independently. Building on this knowledge, LOTI then supported pilots in Greenwich and Hackney. These enabled us to rehearse our new methods and help build up boroughs’ knowledge of what works in this important field.
The Greenwich pilot explored the effectiveness of Amazon Echo in improving the well-being of participants and promoting independence and self-care in the identified group of participants.
The Hackney pilot explored whether providing a device, internet connection, written guidance and an offer of one-to-one support, enabled selected socially isolated individuals with medium-low digital skills, to make contact with others remotely.
