Atherstone and Stratford-upon-Avon Library & Information Centres will be the places to find out about a new website that shows people gadgets and solutions that can make life easier this week a...
Atherstone and Stratford-upon-Avon Library & Information Centres will be the places to find out about a new website that shows people gadgets and solutions that can make life easier this week and next week.
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.
On Thursday 14th November between 10am and 12 noon, Atherstone Library will be hosting a ‘pop-up’ information event 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 Tuesday 19th November between 10am and 12 noon, you'll get another chance to find out more at Stratford-upon-Avon Library.
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.
'Pop-up' information events have been held at libraries across Warwickshire in October and November, as well as at Warwick's Shire Hall, Warwick Hospital and George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton. The events at Atherstone and Stratford-upon-Avon Libraries are the last of the current round of events.
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.
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.