People on both sides of the border with additional needs who prefer to live independent of hospital and residential care can now do so with the help of home-based support from a monitoring station in Lisnaskea.
On Friday, McElwaine Smart Technologies marked the official launch of its Telecare Monitoring Centre based in Lite House, Cross Street.
The event also marked the attainment of the Telecare Services Association (TSA) approval and a partnership with Bosch Securities.
It was John McElwaine's pleasant duty as the Managing Director of McElwaine Smart to welcome two government ministers, Arlene Foster (Investment) and Áine Brady, the South's Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for older people.
A sizeable invited audience heard from Mr McElwaine how the 'telecare' project operated. He explained it was a service based on a series of electronic sensors in the client's home, which – when activated in the event of an emergency, e.g., a fall – triggered an alert in the monitoring station.
"It allows a person with additional needs to live independently with reassurance, knowing that they have 24-hour monitored support in a cost-effective way that always puts the user at the heart of the service."
In the course of his presentation, Mr McElwaine recalled how he started up in 1978 as a one-man business and now employed 137 in Lisnaskea and Enniskillen and at sites in Scotland, England and Wales.
He explained that this latest initiative represented a three-year long, hard journey, culminating a few months previously with the opening of an office in the Europa Academy complex in Dublin.
"We are currently monitoring hundreds of people in the local area and right across the island of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland represents a good market for us and, with the assistance of others, we intend to develop in the rest of the UK. With the support of Invest NI we intend to keep moving forward."
The Investment Minister, Arlene Foster, explained that one of her Department's objectives was to encourage innovation and explore new business sectors.
"I am delighted to see Northern Ireland companies focused on the Telecare markets. The life sciences sector is a high, value-added industry sector, involving the development of novel and innovative products and services, the vast majority of which are sold in markets worldwide.
"McElwaine Smart is well positioned to become an integral part of this important sector. Employing 12 staff and working across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, McElwaine Smart is a new contributor to the Northern Ireland economy, with high hopes for its future in the telecare market."
She said the monitoring centre represented a very impressive achievement and that the company continued to achieve growth, even when faced with the challenges of the global downturn.
Mrs Foster went on: "Today, the launch of this Telecare Monitoring Centre, the attainment of approval from the Telecare Services Association and its strategic partnership with Bosch Securities – a world renowned company in the life science sector – is a fitting acknowledgement of the commitment and ability of all its staff and in particular, John McElwaine and his advisors."
She told Mr McElwaine that the drive, determination and commitment of himself and his staff deserved to be highly commended.
She went on: "For Northern Ireland to prosper, we need to ensure that new sectors are explored and are encouraged to grow and flourish here and, in so doing, encourage others to do the same and take their businesses to a level where they can compete across Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and further afield - 'just as McElwaine Smart is striving to do'.
She said the economy remained the top priority for the Executive, with higher value added investment and the development of innovative products and services holding the key to Northern Ireland's future economic prosperity.
"Although Northern Ireland, along with virtually the rest of the world economy, currently faces difficult times, businesses such as McElwaine Smart help position Northern Ireland as a region with internationally competitive products services and skills."
