Does anyone else find this story quite disturbing? To stay safe, people in danger have to be imprisoned at home and telecare becomes a warder, not a liberator? Has no one in Anglesey heard of using mobile phones with panic alert buttons or other mobile tracking and alerting devices?
Or maybe they were sold the only ‘solution’ that the supplier could provide. Wales’ first domestic violence telecare line for Anglesey.
Domestic Violence Initiatives
I couldn’t agree more with your comment Steve. The use of telecare equipment, while proactive, is still quite restrictive in its effectiveness. The Council should also consider the wider duty of care implications since the greater concern is the increased feelings of vulnerability whenever the ‘victim’ has to leave the relative security of the home and venture unprotected to the shops or schools. Experience here in Scotland indicates that time also plays a factor since the abusive partner becomes educated to the limitations of the security provided and chooses to attack away from the home where no protection exists. A GSM solution, backed up by GPS locations and a facility for remote audible monitoring/recording and immediate police response is a far more effective solution.
Regards, Tom
http://www.argyll.uk.com
location based mobile social networking,..
A nice low cost solution that brings together Mobiles with location can be found at Locle… http://locle.com/
[Interesting find. Thanks. Steve]
Domestic Violence Initiatives
I think that you are all being too harsh in your comments about the Anglesey service.
The world’s first “proper” telecare trial using smart sensors and the community alarm network for people with dementia was performed in Anglesey in 1999. The project led to the development and trialling of many (or perhaps most) of the devices now in regular use in telecare systems including ANWEN (Automatic Night Wandering Electronic Notifier) which is now renamed as the property exit monitor. The evaluation identified the need for location based detection and informed a number of future initiatives including the use of GSM and GPS devices.
In rural areas, such as North Wales, the former approach was found to be all but useless because there is no 3G signal available and the concentration of mobile phone masts is anyway very low. The limitations of GPS (inside properties, in cars, caravans and trains) have also been considered. The result is that devices such as Buddi and the Num8 watch are in the telecare service’s toolbox but are rarely needed for cases of domestic violence protection. Many of the situations faced by service providers who operate outside big towns and cities is that the people to be protected require to be housed in a refuge, almost invariable in a remote location where their violent partners will be less likely to find them. When they are found, the property becomes the target for aggression, so it is wholly appropriate that the protection scheme focuses initially on maintaining the security of the property.
Telecare service providers are rarely constrained in wanting to adopt newer technologies as they develop, but they need to ensure that they receive appropriate advice and independent evaluations and audits (not RCTs!) before they spend money on products that may themselves be redundant in a short space of time.
[Kevin: I had a feeling you might put us straight! Steve]
Another take on Angelsey domestic violence story
According to a BBC news report some women are concerned about the element of the scheme whereby call centre operators will talk to a woman who has raised an alert.