Tim, who has cerebral palsy, is a natural communicator and listener. Tim’s disability means he can’t speak verbally with others, but by using specialist technology he’s still able to communicate with friends and family at this difficult time.

With self-isolation and social distancing now in place, this technology is more important than ever for Tim. He can’t visit his mum at the moment but thankfully it allows him to stay in touch with her by phone.

The technology, called Dynavox, allows Tim to spell out what he wants to say using head-operated controls. It works by displaying his words on a screen or playing them as audio, to the people he talks to.

Tim says, “Being able to use Dynavox is so important to me. I feel less isolated. If I didn’t have my device, communication would be very slow and frustrating.’’

Tim lives at Treetops, a care home run by Livability in Colchester where he was taught how to communicate using this vital equipment. Since then the technology has opened up many opportunities for Tim that simply wouldn’t be possible otherwise, including recently undertaking training to become a counsellor.

Making the most of technology at Livability’s care homes 

At this difficult time, assistive specialist technology can help break down communication barriers for disabled people, allowing them to use social media or smartphones to stay in touch with family and friends.

 Amanda, Livability Care Home Manager

Amanda Nixon manages Livability Treetop’s high-dependency residential care home in Essex, which provides 24-hour nursing and personal care for younger disabled adults.

She’s incredibly proud of how her team are pulling together to provide round-the-clock care to support the young adults in the home whilst the coronavirus continues to impact our everyday lives.

Amanda says, “It’s incredibly important for the disabled people we support that they can stay in touch with their friends and family. We’re having to self isolate and many of our residents aren’t able to see their own family which is incredibly hard. At times like this it’s vital they can stay in touch and the specialist equipment they use to help them do this is essential.”

How Livability supports disabled people

Livability is a strong believer in the power of connecting people with their communities, through technology and new innovations. It’s something they’ve been doing for the past 170 years and they recently introduced an extra telephone to all their care homes so residents can continue to keep in touch with loved ones whenever they want to.

If you’d like to find out more how you can contact our supporter services team on 0207 452 2121.