There’s a Moose in the Hoose
set loose in the Big Hoose !!

The Moose in the Hoose evaluation report was launched in the Big Hoose – Scottish Parliament on 21st November

Moose in the Hoose is a project involving the use of computers and the internet by care home residents in Edinburgh

Started in 2005 , Moose in the Hoose is a pioneering partnership project between the City of Edinburgh Council’s Health and Social Care department (H&SC) and two voluntary organisations:  ACE IT (Age Concern Edinburgh Information Technology project) and RSVP (the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme of Community Service Volunteers). The aims of the project are to :

• Provide long-term, sustainable access to IT for older people living in care homes and sheltered housing
   
• Utilise the time, skills and commitment of older volunteers to provide support, knowledge and enthusiasm about computers and IT to people living in care homes and sheltered housing
   
• Assist units to establish and maintain an environment where electronic communication and IT are readily accessible and well supported

Positive results for residents:

The residents, who ranged in age from 60+ to 90+, saw several main benefits.

Many were surprised, and pleased, to find that they could acquire these “21^st century” skills.  “I thought I was past it – but now I’m completely hooked.  I’m on the computer every day”.

There were also practical benefits.  Internet shopping enables people to buy books, DVDs and all sorts of personal items without having to trail round the shops. After browsing the internet one man with mobility problems was able to buy a special orthopaedic chair “the first comfortable seat I’ve had in years”.

A lady lost contact with her friend who had emigrated to Australia in 1947 when she was sixteen. Using the internet and email she has now found her long lost friend

 “I never enjoyed myself so much since they put the computer in here, Tuesday used to be just another day, It’s thrown me into a whole new world”

Statistics

• The project currently operates in 9 locations within Edinburgh:
   

• 6 City of Edinburgh Council’s  care homes
   
• 1 C.E.C day service.
   
• 2 sheltered housing complexes - both run by voluntary sector housing associations.
   
• In Jan 2008 ‘Moose’ will begin working in 3 new CEC locations, bringing the total number of locations to 12.
   
• 18 volunteers provide direct contact and support to 75+ service users per week.
   
• 18 volunteers x 4 hours per week =  72 hours per week
   
• Volunteers contribution to CEC services = the equivalent hours of 2 full-time workers

S3M-874 Sarah Boyack: - Moose in the Hoose

That the Parliament welcomes the "Moose In The Hoose" project aimed at introducing the benefits of computers and the internet to those living in care homes and sheltered housing in Edinburgh using retired and senior volunteers; congratulates the City of Edinburgh Council’s Department of Health and Social Care, Community Service Volunteer’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP) and Age Concern’s Edinburgh Information Technology (ACE IT) based in the Gorgie and Dalry area on jointly bringing this project to fruition; believes that it is vital that no section of society is left behind by technological developments, and further believes that this important social inclusion project is an example of good practice to the rest of Scotland and beyond.

Supported by: Christine Grahame, Jamie Stone, Karen Gillon, Mary Mulligan, Robin Harper, Marilyn Livingstone, James Kelly, Kenneth Gibson, Jackie Baillie, David Whitton, Iain Gray, Malcolm Chisholm, Trish Godman, Jim Tolson, Karen Whitefield, Peter Peacock, Rhoda Grant, David Stewart, Elaine Murray, Mike Pringle, Gil Paterson, George Foulkes