The RAATE conference is coming up on the 5th December.

That would seem to be as good a place as anywhere to have an ad-hoc meeting of interested/concerned parties.

Perhaps you could get together after the end of the conference, although I realise people will have trains/planes to catch, etc.

Just a thought,

Geoff.

In a message dated 26/10/2005 17:52:41 GMT Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes:

Jeremy I share your concerns especially the one about being hung. :)
There is little doubt that things need to be brought back to an individualised needs led approach.
Guy
At 18:09 26/10/2005, you wrote:

I am probably going to be hung, drawn and quartered for saying this
but consequent to the publishing of these various related telecare
strategies, there has sprung up a veritable industry of consultancies
offering enterprise-wide implementation solutions. Suddenly all the
specialist expertise appears to be focussed on mangement-level
rather than client implementation issues - cart before horse or
what!!!!!! I have a real concern that there are significant conflicts of
interest developing here and that the needs of the severely disabled,
in particular, are going to be lost in the process. I really feel that the
AT commmunity has to mobilise, big-time, and get the focus back
onto individual client needs and aspirations.

Jeremy

> I can't decide whether to get het up or not about the (deliberate?)
> restriction of the term assistive technology to describe the bits of
> kit the government currently find sexy and, unlike most AT, an easy
> pill to swallow.
>
> In 2001 FAST worked with a wide coalition of groups to agree on a
> definition which could accommodate old and new forms of technology
> (from bath hoists to virtual reality tools) and encompass new service
> models (such as remote support using telecare) without requiring
> amendment to any associated legislation or regulation. In deciding not
> to use this (admittedly) wide definition which has an emphasis on
> independence I wonder whether it is not more profitable to see what
> government reveals by its determination to use a health-centric
> definition.
>
> My conclusion is that 1) the department of health is struggling to
> maintain an overview and strategy in relation to assistive technology
> 2) is concerned that if the magic pill of telecare/ telehealth is put
> into the obvious context of assistive technology then it will be
> forced to consider issues such as workforce development (specifically
> national occupational standards) which are required by the whole AT
> industry, and 3) is talking to manufacturers and suppliers who do not
> want to position telecare as one element of an independence
> infrastructure which must be integrated with other AT services and
> sustainable over time. Where is the professional body or coalition of
> voluntary sector organisations who is raising these issues?
>
> While there is some concern about the Department's confusion/
> confusing misuse of the term assistive technology, I'm even more
> concerned about the attitudes and lack of knowledge that lies behind
> it.
>
> What to do though? I'm not sure.
>
> Keren Down, FAST
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Judge Simon
>   To: [log in to unmask]
>   Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 9:05 AM
>   Subject: Re: EAT Sidelined again
>
>
>   Interesting - I had a brief email or two with one of the authors
>   regarding AT and if (what we define as) AT software was relevant to
>   their report. I hypothesised that it should be.
>
>   Their opinion was that it wasn't and that they had a different
>   definition of AT
>
>   "as in the Audit Commission Report "Assistive Technology -
>   Independence and well-being" and is closely associated with Telecare
>   in the home."
>
>   I argued that Telecare was a subset of AT, not t'other way around -
>   the 'version' of AT that they were interested in for the report was
>
>   "that sub-set of Assistive Technology which assists healthcare
>   delivery or decreases or postpones the need for healthcare. "
>
>   I'll have a read...
>
>   Cheers
>
>   Simon
>
>   Clinical Scientist
>   ACT
>   0121 627 1627 ex 53245
>
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: A discussion list for Assistive Technology professionals.
>   [ mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gary Derwent Sent: 25
>   October 2005 20:47 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: EAT
>   Sidelined again
>
>
>   I was disappointed to see that a recent report entitled "The Impact
>   of e-Health and Assistive Technologies on Healthcare" did not seem
>   to mention communication aids, environmental controls or nearly
>   anything else that I think people on this list would consider
>   Assistive Technologies. (I say 'didn't seem to' because I haven't
>   yet waded through the entire 75 page tome, but a quick electronic
>   search of the pdf document didn't throw anything up.
>
>   Admittedly the group that produced the report is predominantly from
>   a Health Informatics perspective but it still annoys me to see the
>   term assistive technology used without mention of AAC or EC. Yet
>   again the telecare agenda obliterates everything else.
>
>   Also, on an extensive list of contributers in the appendix, only two
>   names were vaguely familiar to me from the EAT world. I'm going to
>   contact the authors to let them know what I think. I've got half a
>   toe in the Health Informatics world myself and generally think it's
>   a great field, but they've made a pigs ear of this one.
>
>   Anyway,...I just felt like a rant after leafing through it...thanks
>   for listening !!!
>
>   If you'd like a look its here :
>
>   http://www.health-informatics.org/tehip/tehipstudy.htm
>
>   Cheers
>
>   Gary
>
>
>   Gary Derwent
>   Compass Electronic Assistive Technology Service
>   Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability
>
>

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