Shire Hall in Warwick and Leamington Library will be just two of the places you can find out more in the next few weeks about a new website that shows people gadgets and solutions that can make lif...
Shire Hall in Warwick and Leamington Library will be just two of the places you can find out more in the next few weeks about a new website that shows people gadgets and solutions that can make life easier for them.
Called AskSARA (www.warwickshire.gov.uk/asksara), the easy-to-use website helps improve people’s access to a range of ‘self-help’ smart technology and associated services in Warwickshire – from automatic pill dispensers to reminder clocks, personal alarms and general equipment to help make daily activities easier – so they can stay well for longer.
Today (Tuesday 29th October) between 2pm and 4pm, Warwick’s Shire Hall will be hosting a ‘pop-up’ information event outside the Post Office where you can learn more about how the website works and see for yourself examples of gadgets – Assistive Technology – that could help you with day-to-day tasks.
On Monday 4th November, between 2pm to 4pm, you’ll get another opportunity to find out more at Leamington Library.
There are more events planned around the county (see full list at the end of the news story).
The AskSARA website has been launched in the county by Warwickshire County Council as part of their commitment, through the Warwickshire Cares Better Together programme, to give people better access to Assistive Technology and to help them focus on their strengths.
Warwickshire County Council, working in partnership with South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT), has already held a 'pop up' event at Warwick Hospital (see photo) where Councillor Les Caborn, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, joined Occupational Therapist and Specialist Training Officer, Sinead O'Malley, who demonstrated items of Assistive Technology and the new website.
From cooking and bathing to taking medication, or doing hobbies and daily tasks, AskSARA provides information, advice and guidance on smart gadgets and solutions that can enable people to help themselves.
The website signposts people to a whole range of gadgets and solutions based on their own personal needs and produces an individual report with suggested ideas, based on the answers to some simple, multiple-choice questions.
For example, if a person needs help remembering to take their medication, it might suggest an automatic pill dispenser or a digital reminder clock; or if someone needs help with staying hydrated or has mobility difficulties as a result of a health condition, AskSARA may suggest the use of a special ‘hand steady’ mug, a falls detector ‘watch’, or a personal alarm.
This could reduce their reliance on friends, family and professional carers, and help them to stay well in their own home.
Councillor Les Caborn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “I encourage everyone to go to one of the events, find out more about the AskSARA website and see these smart gadgets, as we aim to improve and increase access to Assistive Technology for people in Warwickshire.
“AskSARA can help people to stay safe, healthy and independent by suggesting solutions that they and their families or carers may not have thought of before or they may not have been aware of. It’s for adults of all ages who need a range of support to make their lives and day-to-day tasks easier.
“There’s a wide variety of Assistive Technology out there that is really simple to use, but people often don’t know what it is they need to help them. The AskSARA website presents them with the information, advice and guidance that they need.”
Visit the AskSARA Warwickshire website at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/asksara.
Upcoming dates, locations and times around Warwickshire are:
- Tuesday 29th October – Shire Hall, Warwick (outside Post Office) – 10am to 12 noon
- Thursday 31st October – Rugby Library & Information Centre – 10am to 12 noon
- Monday 4th November – Leamington Library & Information Centre – 2pm to 4pm
- Tuesday 5th November – Coleshill Library & Information Centre – 1.30pm to 3.30pm
- Thursday 7th November – Nuneaton Library & Information Centre – 2pm to 4pm
- Tuesday 12th November – Shipston-on-Stour Library & One Stop Shop – 1.30pm – 3.30pm
- Thursday 14th November – Atherstone Library & Information Centre – 10am to 12 noon
- Tuesday 19th November – Stratford-upon-Avon Library & Information Centre – 10am to 12 noon