East Lothian Health Network (PPF) held their Annual General Meeting in
January 2013 at the John Grey Centre in Haddington.
There was a very interesting presentation given by Ruth Burns on
behalf of Lisa Stewart regarding “living it up, feeling happy, healthy
and safe” also known as “dallas” (Delivering Assisted Living
Lifestyles at Scale). This is a scheme currently in development with
the NHS and various partners aimed at enabling people to live
healthier lives, independently (as fas as practical) and making
betters use of resources across health and social care services.
A lot of this is actually aimed at “older people”, e.g. those over 50
years of age. This is a group that is being targeted by a number of
strategies, the latest of which will be the forthcoming integration of
Adult Health and Social Care services.
The presentation emphasised how different organisations are
collaborating in this area and the need for people from different
groups and backgrounds to come together to agree and approve the way
forward by using various forms of “community engagement”. Underpinning
the strategy is the aim to find out what people value and need in
their local community.
However, of concern to Network members present was the reliance on new
technology (smart phones and website) and (digital tv, bluetooth
devices) that may, in fact, present considerable challenges to the
elderly. Without considerable support to enable the elderly to take
advantage of the dallas service, the proposed benefits may be difficult
to realise.
If you would like more information on dallas please contact Lisa
Stewart on 0131 537 9532 or email at lisa.stewart@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
