Researchers partner with care home group to develop novel care support platform
Researchers in the Digital Media Technology (DMT) Lab are working on a new sensor-based system for transforming the lives of young people living in care homes.
The system, Auxilo (defined from the latin word for “aid” or “help”), will expand and showcase the potential of wearable smart devices (e.g. smart watches) to support young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project is in partnership with Sherlock HealthCare Services (SHS), who specialise in providing residential care and support to young people with ASD and ADHD.
Researchers from the DMT Lab are leading the design, development, and evaluation of the Auxilo system. The final system will utilise the onboard sensors in smart devices to empower care providers and deliver enriched care and support to the young people within their homes.
The system will also support real time capturing and recording safety critical care information, which is essential for not only providing safety in care but also for recording the outcomes of care interventions and support.
Dr Chris Creed states:
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with SHS on this KTP project and are particularly excited about the opportunities to apply our research expertise to further enhance and transform support for young people in residential care.”
Supporting enriched care in residential homes
Current care management systems lack the potential of new and emergent technology to support care provision. Auxilo will transform these systems and empower staff to more readily understand when a young person is feeling distressed, concerned, or facing personal challenges.
Dr Ian Williams says:
BCU researchers Dr Chris Creed, Dr Ian Williams and Bharat Paudyal are working in partnership with SHS staff to embed knowledge on the Auxilo system and support scalable growth in the SHS company.
Hilton Mutariswa, Director and Responsible Individual at Sherlock Healthcare Services says:
"SHS is excited and proud to be in partnership with the amazing team at BCU. Auxilo is going to transform the way care notes are recorded in children's homes by offering automated recording functions for the day-to-day management of the home. With our own hardware, software and apps, the potential innovative solutions offered by Auxilo will be vital to creating decision support tools for individuals diagnosed with ADHD and their carers."
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are a UK-wide programme that has been helping businesses for the past 40 years to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK Knowledge Base. In a KTP, the University employs a graduate or postgraduate (the Associate) to work on site with the company, jointly supervised by company and university staff. BCU’s growing portfolio of projects is fully supported by the Knowledge Transfer team in RIEE.
Find out more about the project here.