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suggested that the devices themselves do what they are supposed to do and that telecare
itself when used properly can be of great value, and effectively support people to achieve
a greater level of independence.
Oudshoorn (2011) outlines many of the positive aspects of telecare in four main points:

1� Telecare technologies change the geography of healthcare by introducing telecare
centres as new spaces of care.
2� Telecare technologies contribute to redefining familiar places, most notably the home
and public places, into spaces of care. In this process the experience and meaning of
these spaces also change.
3� Spaces in which telecare technologies are introduced shape the use and meaning of
these devices, which underscore the place dependency of user–technology relations.
4� Telecare technologies participate in creating virtual spaces that introduce new forms
of care based on digital proximity, resulting in specific technologies of self.

Pols (2012) suggests that the use of telecare to support people and enable a person to be
more independent is not an insular activity; rather for telecare to be successful it requires
greater interaction between all parties involved:

Whatever type of (tele)care analysed, ‘self-management’ turned out to be a misleading
term. There was always some form of ‘together management’, even if the caring partners
varied at times. They could be professional carers, telecare devices or fellow patients.
Family members, where present, were always involved in one way or another. Rather
than understanding care as a practice for treating individuals, it makes sense to look at
care in its various configurations, including the place of technology and the relations
made with and through it. This gives a better idea of which configurations are worth
arguing for or against.

Thus instead of seeing telecare as part of a system that supports people it is often used
as a rationale to limit access to further support. Telecare is seen as a technological catalyst
for implementing a community and ageing-in-place care system that can cope with the
increasing long-term care needs of our ever-increasing societies (López, 2010).
As a standalone intervention, telecare can be misplaced and ineffective as the people
who are to use it might not fully understand how to use the devices or what their purpose
is, although there are some excellent standalone devices.
The context of care and assisted living are important to the successful deployment of
telecare. The person who is to use telecare must buy into its benefits and not feel they are
getting second best if it is to work effectively.

Telehealth
Telehealth is not a new technology or branch of medicine, nor is it the only solution to
delivering health services. Equally, telehealth is not a substitute for clinical consultation,