Caledonia Housing has bought Appello’s digital telecare software to support its digital inclusion strategy for older people. Aiming to promote social inclusion and combat loneliness, the housing provider is introducing Appello’s Smart Living Solutions (SLS) in one of its retirement housing developments in Monifieth.
Replacing an old analogue call system, Appello’s digital platform gives tenants all of the modern benefits of apartment-to-apartment and resident-to-manager video calls, video door-entry and wi-fi in communal areas. It also reduces the connection time to Appello’s monitoring centre from minutes to just a few seconds.
The integration of Appello SLS with Caledonia’s self-service portal and app gives tenants greater independence and the ability to report issues, view bills, pay rent, schedule repairs and keep their details up to date from a tablet.
Andy Dorrat, team leader for older people’s housing services, Caledonia Housing says, “We wanted to move on from the old-fashioned ‘big red button’ and looked for a solution with better functionality, improved security and faster connection times.
“The Appello system ticked a lot of our boxes for modernising our current system especially with the speed of Appello’s digital connection. The integration with our self-service portal and app supports our digital inclusion strategy, empowering tenants to take control of their own requests and remain as independent as possible. Furthermore, many of our tenants don’t have smartphones so the larger screen on the Appello LivingHub device is perfect for them.”
Linda Nairn, the scheme manager at Caledonia’s Monifieth development, said, “The quick response time from the Appello monitoring centre has been impressive; it’s given me peace of mind that if I’m away or helping another resident, any calls will go straight to the help they need in seconds.
“Appello’s SLS is so easy to use, giving me instant visibility across the development. The tenants are delighted with the wristbands which have replaced the cumbersome pendants, which most of them never wore anyway. Importantly, the tenants are delighted at being able to contact one another socially via video calls and they’re reassured by the extra security the cameras give via the video door-entry.”
