JUSTICE Secretary Humza Yousaf has told how he was “blown away” by a pioneering hi-tech care system installed in a care home in his Glasgow constituency.
The MSP for Cardonald was speaking after visiting Blackwood’s Belses care home to see first-hand the impact that the revolutionary system is having on people’s lives.
Blackwood uses a digitally enhanced technology called CleverCogs, which is controlled from a touch-screen home hub, allowing residents to interact with family and friends, as well as performing domestic tasks such as closing blinds or online shopping.
Yousaf spoke to customers about how it was helping them to live life as independently as possible and heard more about Blackwood’s plans for the future.
He said: “It’s really fascinating that such a great piece of technology is bringing so much comfort and security to residents and helps to tackle important issues like isolation among the residents here.
“I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak to the residents and enjoyed learning about the technology from them, and I’m blown away by what I’ve seen.
“What I’m really excited to see is the future developments of this technology as it helps people to live independently, and I wish Blackwood all the very best with this in the future.”
Blackwood said it placed customers, families and staff teams at the heart of CleverCogs’s development to ensure it catered exactly for the needs of those using it.
The system centres on a touch-screen home hub, more than 100 of which are now installed in homes and care facilities across the country.
It helps residents live as independently as possible by allowing them to catch up with their interests, book appointments and access information from the internet all through one, easy-to-use device.
Fanchea Kelly, Blackwood’s chief executive, said: “It was wonderful to have Mr Yousaf visit and test out our CleverCogs system for himself. We’re very proud of it and it’s gratifying to hear he was as impressed by the technology as our customers who benefit from it in their everyday lives. CleverCogs is so intuitive and can be used no matter your IT skills, while the personalisation it offers means it can cater to an individual’s bespoke support needs.”
A key part of the system’s success is the understanding that everyone learns in different ways, and Blackwood offers tailored training sessions for anyone looking to use the system. Email, social media and online shopping are all easily to hand, and it enables users to stay connected with friends and family.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel