Supporting Independent Living Free Essay Example, 2250 words

Sally’s car is also adapted with a spinner knob as well as a left foot gas pedal. She is also given a larger keyboard with large black letters to aid in typing. These two are additional examples of adaptive technologies that are used for independent living.  Communication Technology Communication technologies are provided to enhance or replace the normal human communication. Some of the aids are given to replace speech. There are different kinds of communication aids that are available for the health and social care services users (Kirklees Council. , 2014). The direct select aid is an example where choice is indicated directly by pointing any part of the body (Buckinghamshire Council, 2014). An example of such a device is the Light writer. Scanning and encoding devices are also used to facilitate communication and promote independent living (Hertfordshire Council, 2014) Barriers to use of Technology to Support Independent Living Despite the benefits that are associated with the use of technology in promoting independent living among the users of health and social car services, there exist several barriers that undermine its application (Ripat and Booth, 2005). Cost and funding is one of the barriers to the use of technology. We will write a custom essay sample on Supporting Independent Living or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Some health and social service providers are not able to afford the technologies that facilitate independent living (Robitaille, 2010). Some patients who require these products are at times faced with financial constraints that make them unable to pay for the services. In the case study on Sally, the specialists recommends several assistive devices such as eye patch, gardening aid, cooking tools, larger keyboard and also advices that Sally’s car be fitted with left foot accelerator. All these require money and in some cases the patients are not able to afford all the devices required for independent living. Another barrier is the lack of appropriate staff training and support. A number of assistive devices are high tech and require training of staff on their usage as well as maintenance. Lack of this training has been one of the main barriers to the use of assistive technology (Ripat and Booth, 2005). The GP refers Sally to a driverâ€℠¢s trainer specialist to change the accelerator of her car and to train her on using the car with new modifications. This is an indicator that some assistive devices and technologies may require specialized training hence limiting their application.  Negative attitude of the staff as well as the users of health and social services hampers the incorporation of technology to facilitate independent living.