Staggering Statistics
At Safe Steps we develop resources in tandem with care staff to enable them to recognise signs of declining health and to manage the well-being of the vulnerable people in their care. Our Falls prevention technology has reduced the rate of falls in care homes by 31%, and our Covid-19 tracker app has been used over 300,000 times to stop the spread of coronavirus in care homes.
We protect the elderly, and try to mitigate risk of illness or harm, but what about the 1.5 million people in the UK living with a learning disability? Of that 1.5 million, 350,000 are living with a severe disability.
According to analysis of official statistics, people with disabilities accounted for 60 per cent of those who died during the first wave of the pandemic — between March and November 2020.
Between the 24th of January and the 20th of November 2020 in England, the risk of death involving the coronavirus was 3.1 times greater for more-disabled men and 1.9 times greater for less-disabled men, compared with non-disabled men; among women, the risk of death was 3.5 times greater for more-disabled women and 2.0 times greater for less-disabled women, compared with non-disabled women.
Sadly between April 10th and May 15th of 2020 386 people with a learning disability, some of whom may also be autistic, died. 206 were as a result of suspected and/or confirmed COVID-19.
195 of these deaths occurred in residential social care settings.
The reason for these shocking numbers is that people with learning disabilities have complex comorbidities that develop at an earlier age than the general population and with which they are now living longer. Identification, assessment and management of these conditions is important but challenging.
Our Covid-19 Tracker app is currently being used to stop the spread of Covid in Care Homes across Greater Manchester, and beginning next month we will be rolling them out across the UK. While most residential homes cater to the ageing population, there are many residential care homes housing the learning disabled, and they are up against an enormous challenge. Our technology can lighten their burden. They will be able to track virus symptoms, test results and vaccination administration. It connects directly to resident’s GPs and saves these overburdened carers time. In collaboration with Health Innovation Manchester and the NHS we are currently offering our app free of charge in all care homes in the Greater Manchester area, all they have to do is log-in.
2020 was a tragic year care homes. It was a time of great crisis for the learning disabled community. These homes need services and support. Safe Steps wants help.
For more information on our Covid Tracker app please email covidtracker@safesteps.tech.
