At a time when UK social care is struggling to meet increasing demands, one Scottish- based firm is designing innovative solutions to facilitate independent living for longer. Jordan Shaw Ltd, a ‘caring through innovation’ organisation, is providing a unique opportunity for friends, family members, and even complete strangers to get involved, donate to a good cause, and help to bring a new, highly practical home safety device to market which can significantly reduce the risk of fires, smoke inhalation and hospitalisation.
The Hob Angel® has been specifically designed to help those living with degenerative illnesses to remain in the home and live independently while staying safe, happy and healthy. Using advanced technologies and state-of-the-art circuitry, the unit works to automatically disconnect power to the hob during cooking in response to a failure to acknowledge an audible alarm, triggered when the cooker has been in operation for a set period. With a simple wall-mounted control, Hob Angel has been strategically designed to be easy to use by those with Alzheimer’s, other dementias and multiple sclerosis.
The aim of the Hob Angel unit is to make it easier for older people and those with degenerative illnesses to maintain their independence. Last year, care home fees rose by 5%, marking the biggest jump in a decade. Today, the average cost of a residential home is £651 per week, or £33,852 per year.
Jordan Shaw Founder, Cathy Gladwin, who is also the brains behind Hob Angel said, “Hob Angel is a necessary device if we are to facilitate a future of independent home living. This isn’t just important for older and vulnerable people; it’s important for our local services, too. We need to take action and we need to work to minimise the massive burden on our fabulous NHS and fire brigade services. Hob Angel is a major driver towards this goal. Initially, we hope to bring the Hob Angel to more than 2000 homes in the UK, and ultimately reduce preventable fire brigade call outs by 10%.”
By providing vulnerable people with the tools they need to remain independent, Jordan Shaw hopes to take some of the pressure off local authorities, and potentially help them to save millions each and every year.
Across the UK in 2017/2018, fire and rescue services attended 37,740 dwelling fires, with nearly half of accidental house fires caused by cooking appliances, according to official Home Office statistics. For the NHS, crises like coronavirus have highlighted just how important it is to prioritise the reduction of preventable hospital visits. It’s understood that the number of people with dementia has risen to 50 million worldwide- a statistic that shows action needs to take place quickly.
While vulnerable people are at the heart of the innovation, the Hob Angel also holds the potential to revolutionise safety in other areas. The device can be used to minimise risk in student accommodation, helping landlords to protect their properties and their tenants with a second line of defence.
With support from the community, Jordan Shaw estimates that the first Hob Angel devices could be in operation within 9 months. The team is on a mission to raise the £250,000 needed to manufacture and CE test the first batch of units, and is crowdfunding to raise the necessary funds.
An independent panel will liaise with fire and rescue service, local authorities, and organisations such as Age UK, MS Society, Alzheimer’s Scotland, and the Alzheimer’s Society to identify the most vulnerable, with an aim of donating 2000 units to these households. Should more than the necessary £250,000 be raised through crowdfunding, the funds will be used to manufacture and deliver more units, helping even more people to stay safe at home.
To find out more, visit: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/hob-angel
