The Age UK funded research into who uses telecare by the Strategic Society Centre said that four million people could benefit from using personal alarms and alerting devices.
But of this group only 113,000 people currently received care from their council. 1.9 million people relied on care from family members and a further 1.9 million received no support.
James Lloyd, director of the Strategic Society Centre, said telecare, which had the potential to save councils £1bn if they boosted take up, had "huge potential" both now and in the future.
"Crucially, the research shows how few current or potential telecare users are actually in regular contact with local authorities," he said. "Most potential telecare users rely on informal care – nearly two million – so we must help families incorporate telecare into the way they support each other."
Michelle Mitchell, charity director general at Age UK said: "Good quality telecare could make a real difference to millions of older people making them feel safer and more secure in their own home.
"It's an important way for some older people maintain independence at home for longer by giving them more choice and control over their own wellbeing.
"We are particularly interested in seeing the preventative benefits of telecare exploited by more local authorities."
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Quelle/Source: Public Service, 06.09.2012
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