Landmark partnership sees world-leading telecare provider deliver enhanced health and community care solutions to support independent living
[UKPRwire, Tue Jul 31 2007] Tunstall, the leading provider of telecare and telehealth solutions, has been selected by The Chinese Evergreen Association to provide enhanced health and community care solutions to support independent living for its ageing population.
Tunstall is partnering with The Chinese Evergreen Association, which has 16 years experience in providing community care to older and disabled people in Taiwan, to launch their Evercare service. Over the next few years, Evercare will be extended to over 500,000 users in Taiwan, as part of a major healthcare initiative announced by the Taiwanese Government, which will see NT$40 billion invested in improving care for older people.
In Taiwan, currently over 9.7% of the population is aged over 65, and within the next 20 years that figure will double, meaning there is urgent need for alternative care solutions to assist the growing demand for community care.[1]
Tunstall currently supports over 2.5 million Telecare users worldwide, and this new landmark deal will further increase its global presence.
James Buckley Tunstall Group CEO said: “The Taiwanese Government has certainly embraced its demographic issues head on, which began two years ago by sending a trade mission to the UK to help understand how telecare services are being used to support independent living. We are delighted to be working with The Chinese Evergreen Association, to provide telecare solutions which will enable preventative and enhanced community-based services. There is no doubt that other markets will follow.”
Chairman Simon Chan of The Chinese Evergreen Association said: “Because we are at the coal face, we recognised that there simply aren’t the resources available to meet the shifting needs for care. Tunstall’s experience in telecare product development and personal response monitoring in our opinion is simply the best quality and the older members of our community deserve nothing less.”
The decision to work with Tunstall follows a Government trade visit to the UK, where Tunstall already works with a large number of public sector organisations to support older people and those with long-term needs.
The Taiwanese delegation was impressed by the partnership work Tunstall has carried out with Newham Council - the largest telecare programme in England – and with Kent County Council. The success of these projects influenced the delegates’ decision to follow the UK telecare model, and to partner with Tunstall.
EverCare provides a personal telecare alarm system and emergency response monitoring service 24 hours a day. The centre is staffed by trained Tunstall response operators who provide assistance to service users.
The initiative’s objectives are to provide alternative health and social care models, so that older people and those with long term needs are able to live independently for as long as possible.
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About Tunstall
Tunstall is the market leading provider of telecare and telehealth solutions, with over 2.5 million users globally. Tunstall’s solutions support older people and those with long-term needs, to live independently, by effectively managing their health and well-being. Tunstall provides technology, expertise and advice to millions of people enabling them to lead independent more fulfilling lives. For more information on how telecare and telehealth can improve quality of life, visit www.tunstall.co.uk
