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Care Technology Glossary of Terms

We have compiled a list of key terms used in the technology-enabled care sector. This resource will be continuously reviewed and updated. Please inform us if there are any terms you would like to see added to the glossary.

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  • 2.5G GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) services support a faster data rate than basic 2G services.
  • 2.75G services using EDGE (Enhanced Data-rates for GSM Evolution) support a faster data rate than 2.5G GPRS services.
  • Short form for second-generation mobile telecommunications technology launched on the GSM digital standard. 2G services supported digital encryption and data services such as SMS text messaging.
  • Short form for third-generation mobile telecommunications technology. 3G offers higher data transfer rates than 2G services and supports applications such as wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV. 3G networks are currently being decommissioned.
  • Short form for fourth-generation mobile telecommunications technology. 4G services offer fast mobile broadband access to the Internet, supporting additional services such as high-definition video, video conferencing, cloudcomputing and IPtelephony.
  • Short form for fifth-generation mobile telecommunication technology. It supports data rates equivalent to landline broadband services for tens of thousands of users within a small area.
  • Short form for sixth-generation mobile telecommunication technology currently under development. It will offer even faster data rates than 5G, reduced latency, and is likely to be available around 2030.
  • A dedicated APN (Access Point Name) is a method of segregating data traffic on mobile networks. It allows an organisation's data traffic to be contained within a specific APN to isolate it from other data traffic on the mobile network, such as other users' Internet browsing. Telecare alarms that use mobile network connections often use a dedicated APN to ensure that their data traffic remains separate from that of other mobile network users.
  • Acoustic monitoring uses audio sensors to detect sounds indicating that someone may need assistance during the night. This alerts staff to respond rather than disturbing people unnecessarily with routine checks. This technology can also pick up audible tones from alarm-based sensors and link them to another system to initiate an alert, alarm, or response.
  • These are the routine, everyday activities that people tend to do without needing assistance. There are six basic ADLs: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (walking), and continence.
  • This is the use of technology to collect data on an individual's activities and tasks. The technology may monitor the person directly and/or their interaction with objects in the home.
  • An activity tracker is an electronic device that helps monitor human activity, such as walking or running, sleep quality, or heart rate. It can be a smartwatch or other small device typically linked wirelessly to a smartphone or local hub.
  • AES is a data encryption standard implemented in software and hardware to encrypt sensitive data. It is essential for government computer security, cybersecurity and electronic data protection. The number after the AES refers to the length of the key used to protect the data, with higher numbers indicating a stronger level of encryption. AES-256 is widely used to protect data on computers and on the Internet. AES-128 is specified as the minimum level of encryption to be used within the TS 50134-9 (CENELEC) telecare protocol to secure telecare data when carried over a public network.
  • An alarm is a notification of an issue requiring immediate response for the most appropriate intervention in a timely manner. It could signal a potential emergency.
  • Synonymous with Telecare Monitoring Centre, the term refers to the building in which telecare alarm calls are answered.
  • An alert notification lets someone know that something of interest has occurred. It is not normally as serious as an alarm. It may be for information only or require further investigation to establish the cause.
  • This is a technology-enabled approach to extending the time people can live independently, either in their homes or in their communities, by increasing their autonomy and self-confidence. The technology, often working in the background, supports individuals in performing everyday activities, monitors their safety, and provides care and support when required.
  • Used to connect analogue telephone equipment to a digital network so the user can make calls over the Internet. The ATA acts as an intermediary between the telephone and a VoIP server, digitising voice data so that it can be transmitted over the Internet.
  • This refers to the conversion of analogue signals into digital signals, like converting sound into a series of numbers representing its strength. Digital signals are more suitable for transmission over digital communication networks and are less likely to be affected by noise and errors. More generally, it can also refer to the transition from analogue to digital technologies and platforms, such as the digital transformation of telecare alarm hubs and monitoring platforms.
  • A mobile operating system developed by Google and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It is also used as the base operating system for many smart TV’s (Android TV) and wearables (Wear OS).
  • A self-contained program or piece of software designed to fulfil a particular purpose; an application, especially as downloaded by a user to a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet computer.
  • A set of functions and procedures that allow the creation of software applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service. In TEC applications, they are often used to share data and events between different platforms.
  • Artificial intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machines. AI applications include advanced web search engines (e.g. Google), recommendation systems (used by YouTube, Amazon and Netflix), understanding human speech (such as Siri and Alexa), self-driving cars (e.g. Tesla), and automated decision-making. A large language model (LLM) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) program that can recognise and generate text, among other tasks. Examples include Chat-GPT and Gemini, which are chatbot services built using LLMs. One of the most successful areas of applied AI is machine learning, based on statistical modelling techniques.
  • The processing of understanding wants, needs, and risks and of identifying potential solutions to ensure that support choices are appropriate to the individual being assessed, their circumstances and what is important to them.
  • Assistive technology is any product or service that maintains or improves the ability of individuals, especially those with disabilities or impairments, to communicate, learn and live independent, fulfilling, and productive lives.
  • This is a type of broadband communications technology that allows fast data transfer using a standard landline telephone connection. The asymmetric part refers to the fact that people can download data from the Internet faster than they can upload it.
  • Augmented reality (AR) integrates digital information with the user's environment in real-time. Unlike virtual reality (VR), which creates a totally artificial environment, AR users experience a real-world environment with generated perceptual information overlaid on top of it.
  • Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted through a connection at the same time.
  • A cooperative venture between Tunstall and the Barcelona Provincial Council sees carers take a proactive approach to telecare. The service does not just monitor and assist in times of distress but proactively engages with service users regularly to help carers provide reassurance and build relationships. The ‘teleassistance’ service combines telecare monitoring and response, coordinates social care and third-party services and delivers proactive outbound contact from monitoring centres. The proactive calling element is similar to the Pfizer Own Health model used in Birmingham in the early 2000’s. See Proactive Calling.
  • This refers to extremely large data sets that can be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions.
  • Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). It is commonly used to replace wired connections in audio systems, such as linking music sources to speakers or headphones. It can also transmit data from sensors using the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol in version 4 onwards.
  • A person who visits or phones someone under false pretences, typically for the purpose of theft or fraud, often linked to distraction burglary.
  • A telecommunications technology that allows large amounts of data to be transmitted quickly. It is often the generic term for any kind of Internet service that allows you access to the web, email, streaming TV, and other online services at high speed.
  • BS 8521-1 is a specification for a common signalling protocol for analogue social alarms that uses dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) to transmit information. Its use allows social alarm systems from different manufacturers to operate and share information with Telecare Monitoring Platforms from various suppliers.
  • A digital grouped scheme telecare alarm signalling protocol, also known as NowIP. This British Standard specifies requirements for the transfer of information and control signals between social alarm equipment used in grouped living environments and alarm receiving centres (ARCs). It provides for the establishment of a common signalling protocol over a public or private IP network to ensure that social alarm systems from different manufacturers exchange essential information and controls in a compatible manner.
  • See First-Time Call Failures.
  • Calling line identification allows the person receiving the call to see the caller’s number. Within telecare, the Alarm Receiving Centre often use this to identify the alarm device associated with an incoming alarm call. CLI is not guaranteed to be delivered.
  • LTE Cat-M (also known as LTE-M) is a low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technology designed to support “Massive IoT”, i.e. billions of IoT devices with mobile/cellular technologies.
  • European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation. The body responsible for the development of the TS 50134-9 digital alarm protocol.
  • This is when data storage and processing is done using a network of remote computers on the Internet rather than local servers. It is commonly used to back up data and host applications. It enables data and applications to be accessed from anywhere with a suitable device connected to the Internet.
  • CSP’s offer telecommunications services or some combination of information and media services, content, entertainment and application services over networks, leveraging the network infrastructure as a rich, functional platform.
  • See social alarms.
  • Another term for Technology-Enabled Care. It involves the convergence of health and care technology, digital, media, and mobile telecommunications to enable a more effective, data-rich, and responsive integrated healthcare experience.
  • This refers to the capability of devices to interconnect and interoperate with other devices, platforms, systems, and applications.
  • Cyber security is the combination of people, policies, processes, and technologies an enterprise employs to protect its cyber (digital) assets. Cyber security is optimised to levels that business leaders define, balancing the resources required with usability/manageability and the amount of risk offset. Subsets of cybersecurity include IT security, IoT security, and information security.
  • Information, especially facts or numbers, collected for examination, consideration, and use in electronic form, stored and used by a computer.
  • This is an online web portal or app that presents a user with an overview of the key data indicators for an individual being monitored and an overview of the situation with multiple users if an organisation is using the platform to manage multiple users. It usually allows operating parameters to be adjusted (e.g., alert thresholds) and for the user to dive down into more detailed underlying data if required.
  • A process to identify and minimise the data protection risks of a project. DPIAs are usually undertaken when introducing new data processing processes, systems, or technologies.
  • This refers to a situation when a medically stable patient must remain in the hospital because there is no safe discharge option available.
  • A cloud-based application to monitor, manage and configure connected telecare alarm devices. Typically, each alarm manufacturer has its own Device Management Platform specific to their alarm devices.
  • Digital subscriber line is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines.
  • This refers to home telephone services that use VoIP to work over broadband networks instead of the old analogue PSTN service. Instead of connecting a phone to the master socket on the wall, it must be connected through a broadband hub that supports digital voice services.
  • Disaster recovery involves a set of policies, tools, and procedures to enable the recovery or continuation of vital technology infrastructure and systems following a natural or human-induced disaster.
  • Wherever possible, people should be supported in returning to their homes for assessment following a spell in hospital. Implementing a discharge-to-assess model where going home is the default pathway, with alternative pathways for people who cannot go straight home, is a way of avoiding Delayed Transfers of Care. Care technologies can be used to help support this process both in terms of ensuring that the discharge is safe and for obtaining data to support the assessment process.
  • An alarm receiving unit in the home that links wirelessly to telecare sensors and other peripherals installed in the home. The DAU enables alarm signals to be transmitted to a Telecare Monitoring Centre and opens a two-way conversation with a call handler to arrange the most appropriate response.
  • A signalling method that sends data as a series of combined audible frequencies (tones) over a telephone connection. The signalling protocols used by analogue telecare devices use DTMF (or a variant) to send messages between the alarm device and ARC. DTMF is not reliable when using digital telephony.
  • Encryption is a way to conceal information by altering it to appear to be random data. It is essential for Internet security. See Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
  • Ethernet is the standard for connecting devices to an IP network using cables. Digital telecare hubs may have a hardwired Ethernet port to enable connection to a broadband router.
  • The field of ethics deals with moral principles related to actions and their outcomes. When using technology to assist individuals, various ethical considerations must be considered. This is particularly important for monitoring technologies, as well as technologies that use machine learning and artificial intelligence. It's crucial to address issues of safeguarding and consent when selecting technology and other services to support individuals. Equally important is understanding how any machine learning or AI has been developed and tested to ensure its appropriateness and fairness for all.
  • FHIR, pronounced “fire”, is a global industry standard framework describing data formats and elements (known as “resources”) and an application programming interface for exchanging electronic health and care data between systems.
  • A telecommunications system based on fibre-optic cables run to a cabinet on the street and which uses a copper wire connection to link to the home. FTTC can provide multiple households with high-speed broadband access to the Internet.
  • A high-speed broadband telecommunications service delivered directly to the home through a fibre-optic cable.
  • First Time Call Failures is a measurement used to track the percentage of analogue calls failing over the digital telecoms network. In a telecare environment, a call failure can occur in various forms from a complete failed connection to a call with extensive distortion. The impact, at worst, will result in multiple attempts to reconnect, costing valuable minutes in an emergency; at best, it could be distortion impacting the ability of the operator and service users to converse and relay essential information.
  • See activity tracker.
  • The legislation that defines data protection and privacy in the UK and EU. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, much of the UK GDPR remains identical to the EU GDPR.
  • A virtual electronic barrier defining a geographical area (usually an area that is safe or unsafe for an individual). A notification can be sent if someone enters or exits the area defined by the geofence.
  • A telephone number associated with a particular geographic area.
  • A radio navigation system based on satellites that allows users to determine their exact location, speed, and the time of day anywhere in the world. It is used to help locate individuals so that their location can be shared with responders in an emergency. It can also be used to establish geofences that can raise an alarm if a person enters or leaves a particular zone.
  • A telecare alarm system installed in a shared housing facility, such as a care home or sheltered housing. A grouped alarm scheme provides telecare services to all users in the facility, as opposed to a dispersed alarm, which provides services only to a single home/residence. It often supports additional housing-related features such as remote door intercoms (audio/video) and access control.
  • In telecommunications, a handshake is an automated negotiation process between two participants. Through the exchange of information, it establishes the rules and protocols to use when setting up a communication link. In telecare, this would include establishing which protocol to use to transmit alarm information.
  • A hazard is anything in the home (or any other environment) that can cause harm to someone or something. See risk.
  • A regular signal from a device to indicate normal operation/a working connection between it and a device management platform or ARC.
  • Refers to a biomedical device that can be swallowed for use within the body.
  • Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are not necessary for fundamental functioning, but they let an individual live independently in a community. IADLs include housework, preparing meals, taking medications as prescribed and managing money.
  • ISDN is a set of communication standards for the simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the digitalised elements of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). In telecare, ISDN services have often provided telephone connections to alarm-receiving centres. Confusingly, although the definition of ISDN includes the word “digital” the service does not use the Internet Protocol. ISDN services are being discontinued as part of the upgrade to IP-enabled digital phone lines and so must be replaced.
  • A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication capabilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardised communication protocols.
  • A development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data, thus allowing for intelligent and interactive applications to be implemented, both within the home and elsewhere.
  • The IP is the method or protocol by which data is sent from one device to another on the Internet. Each device connected to the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet.
  • An Internet service provider (ISP) is a company that provides access to the Internet.
  • Interoperability is the ability of different technology products, systems, and software applications to work together seamlessly by communicating and exchanging data using a common protocol. It works at various levels, from technical to semantic. For full interoperability, products, systems, and services must agree on a common protocol for each level.
  • iOS is Apple’s mobile operating system. It is used on iPhones and iPads. WatchOS is a variant that runs on the Apple Watch.
  • A unique string of numbers that identifies each device connected to the Internet.
  • IPACS is a digital grouped scheme alarm signalling protocol. It is a Tunstall proprietary protocol rather than an open standard. It was originally developed by STT Condigi, which was acquired by Tunstall in 2012.
  • Based on activity monitoring, lifestyle monitoring attempts to interpret activities and build up a profile of habitual behaviours. Any deviation from normal patterns can be used as an early warning of deterioration, prompting a response from family or professionals. The term tends not to be used as much anymore, with Activity Monitoring being used instead.
  • Illnesses and health conditions that may not in themselves be acute, but which can impact on life for several years or until death. Examples include asthma, epilepsy, autism and types of dementia.
  • LoRaWAN is an abbreviation for Long Range Wide Area Network, a type of Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) that uses open-source technology and transmits over unlicensed frequency bands. Designed for the Internet of Things (IoT), LoRaWAN technology provides a far longer range than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections works well indoors, and is especially valuable for applications in remote areas where cellular networks have poor coverage.
  • LPWAN’s are a new class of connectivity technologies for use with Internet of Things (IoT) devices and battery-operated sensor applications. Commonly used LPWAN standards are LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and the emerging cellular standards NB-IoT and CAT-M. They all have long range (up to 10 kilometers), low power (battery lifetime of 5+ years) and low bandwidth, which is fine for most sensing applications.
  • M2M is a connection between devices, often wireless, where human input is not necessarily required. Commonly used examples of M2M are smart metering (where the meter reports energy use back to a central billing database) or a digital telecare alarm, which may contain a SIM card to enable communication with a monitoring centre.
  • Matter is an open-source protocol designed so that any company can use it to make smart home devices, mobile apps and cloud services communicate and work together. It is royalty-free with manufacturers only incurring certification costs. It is supported by various companies including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, SmartThings/Samsung and the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA – previously Zigbee Alliance.)
  • An abbreviation of mobile care, it refers to care and support functions and services that can be managed at a distance using mobile communication technologies and devices.
  • A device that can be filled with prescribed pills by a suitably qualified or authorised person and then programmed to release an appropriate dose (or make the pills available) at set times to help with medication adherence.
  • mHealth, or mobile health, refers to the use of smart or portable devices for health services and information. eHealth/mHealth encompasses a vast spectrum of healthcare services, from electronic prescribing and medical records to text message prompts reminding patients to take their medicines.
  • A 24/7 remote call centre to which information concerning the status of one or more alarm systems is reported and where actions can be initiated and monitored. It also allows people to connect with call handlers to discuss their health and support needs. Sometimes also referred to as an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).
  • This refers to the hardware and software applications used in a Telecare Monitoring Centre or ARC that enable Call Handlers to accept and process alarm calls from equipment installed in people’s homes. The platform receives alarm information, displays the alarm type and information about the service user, and sets up a two-way voice call so that the call handler can assist as required. As telecare moves away from alarm monitoring and focusses more on data monitoring, the applications supported by monitoring platforms will increase to include data dashboards, alert monitoring and device management.
  • Narrow Band IoT is a standards-based low power wide area network (LPWAN) technology developed to enable a wide range of new IoT devices and services. NB-IoT significantly improves the power consumption of user devices, system capacity and spectrum efficiency. Battery life of more than 10 years can be supported for many use cases. Supported by all major mobile equipment, chipset and module manufacturers, NB-IoT can co-exist with 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile networks. It also benefits from all the security and privacy features of mobile networks, such as support for user identity confidentiality, entity authentication, confidentiality, data integrity, and mobile equipment identification.
  • Any telephone number other than a geographic number. Monitoring centres use non-geographic numbers to redirect calls to their call-handling platform. This makes it easy to redirect them to a secondary site or backup provider in the event of a primary site failure.
  • The action of notifying someone or something about a situation that requires a response. Notification alerts may be as simple as a flashing light or an alarm sounder to notify a responder living at the same property. Increasingly, it consists of a text message, e-mail, telephone call or an in-app notification to a remote responder using their smartphone or computer.
  • A digital IP alarm protocol for grouped housing. See BS 8521-2.
  • Ofcom is the UK's communications regulator.
  • Times and days that are outside the normal working week.
  • The likely or achieved short-term and medium-term effects of an intervention’s outputs.
  • An over-the-air (OTA) update is the wireless delivery of new software, firmware, or other data to mobile or connected devices. Digital telecare and activity monitoring hub features can be remotely updated using a Device Management Platform (DMP). This allows new features and security updates to be deployed without visiting the property, saving time and avoiding inconveniencing the end-user.
  • Often abbreviated to pen-testing, it refers to legally hacking into a computer system or website with the owner's approval to reveal vulnerabilities and find opportunities for improving its security.
  • This refers to devices that are installed in the home as part of a telecare or telehealth system and which link to a Dispersed Alarm Unit or hub. Peripherals may include sensors, pendant alarms, sounders, and alarm notification receivers.
  • A way of providing care and support that sees people using care services as equal partners in planning and developing care to ensure it meets their needs.
  • This refers to monitoring parameters such as pulse rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, the level of oxygen absorbed in the blood, and basal temperature, often through peripheral sensing devices, so that clinicians can be informed of changes in a patient's condition.
  • See Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
  • Support provided by people who are located close to the person needing it, and normally within the same property.
  • This is the model of providing care and support that is delivered ‘upstream’ to intervene at an earlier stage than where an alarm may be triggered. Thus, it aims to prevent emergency situations from arising.
  • This is the process of actively contacting service users, usually by telephone, to establish their wellbeing. This could include using a guided questionnaire that records their responses to a range of questions. Any significant changes in wellbeing could be used to instigate an intervention to prevent any deterioration in wellbeing, thus supporting a preventive approach to care and support.
  • A set of agreed rules for exchanging messages and information within or between components of a system.
  • The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), sometimes called the Plain Old Telephone Service (or POTS), is a dedicated network for conveying analogue voice from one point to another. It is being replaced with a new IP-based digital network and will be switched off by the end of January 2027.
  • A medical device that indirectly monitors the oxygen saturation of a patient's blood and provides pulse rate information.
  • A highly subjective measure of happiness that includes several components including security, job satisfaction, family life, health and safety.
  • Reablement gives people the opportunity and confidence to relearn and regain some of the skills they may have lost because of poor health, disability or after a spell in hospital.
  • A person-based service offering a physical visit to help someone in their home if they suffer a health or social care crisis.
  • The likelihood or threat of damage, injury, or other negative occurrence caused by a hazard. It may often be reduced or avoided through pre-emptive action. See also hazard.
  • Rules generate alerts or alarms based on one or more trigger criteria. They tend to follow the format of IF event(s), THEN action(s), or If This, Then That. For example, in activity monitoring, rules are used to determine when an alert should be generated based on abnormal activity within the home. For example, if the user has not got out of bed by their normal time or specifically by 10 a.m., then an alert should be raised.
  • This refers to people with dementia who go out of their home for a walk (historically referred to as wandering). It is often supported using products and services that make use of GPS location tracking technology.
  • This is also known as an ‘I’m OK’ service, where the user must manually depress a button or activate another trigger to confirm that they are OK. If they fail to perform this task before a certain time of day, a monitoring centre operator will call them to establish if there is a problem, and a suitable response can be arranged.
  • Social Care Alarm Internet Protocol. The Swedish digital alarm protocol as used by digital alarm hubs and is the basis of the TS 50134-9 digital social alarm protocol.
  • Self-care encompasses a variety of tasks that individuals are responsible for regarding their health and wellbeing. This includes making daily choices about their lifestyle, such as eating healthily and exercising, as well as monitoring physiological parameters to manage long-term conditions, such as blood sugar levels for a person with diabetes.
  • A device which detects or measures a physical property and supplies that data to a system for storage and/or analysis. See smart sensor.
  • A signalling protocol that is used to set up and control real-time traffic calls, such as voice and video, over a data network. In digital telecare SIP is used in three main ways: SIP-based digital telephone lines are replacing traditional copper phone lines, such as ISDN; SIP is used by digital telecare protocols to carry signalling between the alarm device and the ARC; and SIP is also used by digital alarm devices configured to use VoIP to set up and control the voice call to the ARC.
  • A short text-only communication sent between mobile devices.
  • A proprietary alarm signalling method from Tunstall used as an alternative to DTMF. Tunstall claims improved alarm transmissions over digital and mobile networks. It is only compatible with their own PNC alarm receiving platform.
  • A service used to divert incoming phone calls to an alternative number/location.Smart Divert is used in ARCs to divert incoming alarm calls to an alternative location if the primary call handling system or location becomes unusable.
  • A home that has a communications network that connects appliances and services in the home and allows them to work together intelligently and be remotely controlled, monitored or accessed if necessary.
  • A smart sensor is a device that takes input from the physical environment and uses built-in computing resources to process or interpret this input. It can also communicate with other compatible devices to convey data and important events to the system.
  • A speaker, connected to the Internet, with a built-in virtual assistant that enables voice interaction through commands and questions (e.g. Amazon Echo, Google Home or Apple Homepod).
  • A mobile phone that performs much like a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded apps.
  • A mobile device designed to be worn on the wrist, it has a touch-screen display that tells the time and can run apps. It may have its own mobile connectivity or be paired with a smartphone. Some also have their own GPS sensor.
  • A basic telecare system consisting of pull cords, alarm buttons and an intercom or telephone link to a housing warden or remote alarm monitoring centre. See also telecare.
  • Websites and applications (apps) that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. Popular examples include TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter (X), and Facebook.
  • A device used to measure blood pressure.
  • A device for measuring the volume of air inspired and expired by the lungs.
  • A SIM card identifies the user of a device connected to the mobile telephone network.
  • In supported housing, accommodation is provided alongside support, supervision, or care to help people live as independently as possible in the community. This includes older people, people with a learning or physical disability, people with autism and people with mental health problems.
  • A small portable touchscreen computer that can run apps. It will usually have Wi-Fi connectivity and sometimes its own mobile connectivity if it accepts a SIM.
  • The TSA, the TEC (previously telecare) Services Association, is a trade organisation that supports service and equipment providers in improving their quality of provision.
  • Technology-enabled care services refer to the use of telecare, telehealth, telemedicine, telecoaching, and self-care to provide convenient, accessible, and cost-effective care for patients with long-term conditions.
  • The use of technology to provide care and support functions to people.
  • A telephone (or broadband) service provider, such as BT, TalkTalk, Sky, or Virgin Media. See also CSP.
  • Telecare is support and assistance provided at a distance using information and communication technology. It enables the continuous, automatic, and remote monitoring of users by means of sensors to enable them to continue to live safely and securely in their homes and communities by managing risks associated with real-time emergencies and lifestyle changes over time.
  • See Monitoring Centre.
  • A range of support methods (often delivered online and/or by telephone) that allows clinicians to remotely support and empower patients in managing their health and care.
  • Telehealth is the remote exchange of data, advice and messages between a patient in the community and their clinician(s) to assist in the long-term management of chronic disease and the early identification of exacerbations.
  • The remote diagnosis and treatment of patients using medical information, including scans or video, transmitted over potentially long distances usually between two or more clinicians.
  • The European digital telecare protocol for use with dispersed alarm units. Also known by the name of the standards group that developed it, Cenelec.
  • This is a proprietary analogue alarm protocol from Tunstall. It is limited in scope compared with TT92 and TT21. Some products from other manufacturers can support this protocol.
  • This is a proprietary analogue alarm protocol from Tunstall. It is limited in scope compared with TT New, TT92 and TT21.
  • This is Tunstall's proprietary analogue alarm protocol, the most recent version.
  • This is a commonly used proprietary analogue alarm protocol from Tunstall.
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA), sometimes called two-step verification or dual-factor authentication, is a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves. 2FA is implemented to better protect both a user's credentials and the resources the user can access.
  • UK Telehealthcare is a trade organisation linking equipment and service providers with commissioners through marketplace events.
  • A battery device that provides mains power to connected equipment in the event of a power cut. They are used in monitoring centres to provide backup power in the event of a power failure.
  • This is when a service user uses their own technology to support their own care. This technology is often a smartphone, wearable, or other smart home products, such as a smart speaker.
  • A means of sending private data securely over a public network (the Internet). Privacy is maintained using data encryption.
  • The computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that a person can interact with in a seemingly real or physical way using a helmet with a screen inside and gloves fitted with sensors.
  • A means of presenting remote care staff or family with the information they might have collected during a physical visit to an individual's home. It could also include a remote video session.
  • Clinical measurements, specifically pulse rate, temperature, respiration rate, and blood pressure, which indicate a patient's essential body functional state
  • This technology allows voice calls to be supported using Internet Protocol, either on the public internet or private IP networks.
  • Voice over LTE is a technology for supporting mobile voice and communication services for packet-switched 4G, Wi-Fi, and 5G networks. Advantages include improved call voice quality, coverage, battery life, and support for Wi-Fi calling.
  • Voice recognition/Voice UI is the ability of a product to understand and respond to spoken commands. It has gained prominence and use with the increased popularity of intelligent voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Samsung’s Bixby. These are often accessed using smart speakers.
  • Legislation relating to the disposal of electrical / electronic waste.
  • This refers to wearable technology that can be worn on the body, either as an accessory or as part of material used in clothing. Examples include fitness trackers, smartwatches and fall detectors.
  • A complex combination of a person's physical, mental, emotional and social health factors strongly linked to happiness and life satisfaction.
  • A local area wireless computer networking technology that allows electronic devices to connect to a local network, and then usually to the Internet.
  • Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol used primarily in smart home networks. It allows smart devices to connect and exchange control commands and data with each other.Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol used primarily in smart home networks. It allows smart devices to connect and exchange control commands and data with each other.
  • Zigbee is a standards-based wireless technology developed to enable low-cost, low-power, machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) networks.