Family care plays an important role in health care while at the same time many family carers have to cope with a lot of problems: lack of information and support, uncertainty, shortage of time, unability to leave the house etc. With a PC including a video camera, and an internet connection family carers can open the way to a lot of facilities that can make their tasks and life easier. Information, communication and actual support at a distance by professionals in health care can help them to cope with the situation. Not only in a technical way by getting the right information and instructions but also by knowing that there is always support available when it is needed. By using monitoring techniques (video, measuring body functions at a distance and alarm facilities) it is even possible, for shorter times, to take over the tasks of the family carer, so that person can do shopping, and enjoy moments of a normal social life, normally impossible when one has the continuous care of a sick or disabled person.
Most of these facilities should be provided for by professionals, by organisations in the home care or groups or institutions of volunteers. For these professionals and volunteers a variety of media are available for giving information, instruction and support: email, instruction texts and videos, video contact, chatting and so on. Of course the content of all this must be qualified, according to professional standards and always actual and complete. Besides the physical tasks of visiting and caring of people these professionals and organisations have to accommodate themselves to giving care 'at a distance', becoming providers of information and also focussing on logistics (communications with many people, using call centres, organising facilities for emergency situations and physical interventions. Besides the facilities it offers for the family carer in the realm of professional help and support, the use of ITC opens the way for easy communication with other family carers, family, friends, so it helps to widen the world for people who are very often bounded to the house and have to give all their time and attention to the person they are caring for. With the PC and the possibilities of communication one has also other professional services at hand (for instance services in the field of daily needs, entertainment and so on) that can also contribute to one's coping with the situation.
last update 2002-03-18