With an ageing European population and there being fewer young people in the population, we will have to ensure that the elderly can continue to live at home independently. Technology-assisted living can help here. This new series of articles presents an overview of this emerging field.

Sensors for Integrated Home Systems for the Elderly

Personal safety and ensuring the security of the home are two main concerns for the elderly when they are living at home – the principal equipment that can provide solutions for both issues are sensors; this article reviews many if not all of the types of sensors that can be applied where integrated home systems are used to enable the elderly to live independently for longer. There is a wide range of available sensors and whilst it is either not necessary or perhaps not practical to install all of them in every home, as the type and the number of sensors will greatly depend on the individual’s degree of independence and ability to cope as well as their specific health situation, a joint decision between the resident and the carers will go to compile a check-list of the requirements on which the choice of sensors to be installed or used can be based.

Monitoring for the Elderly Living Independently

Safety and security are ever more at the forefront of people’s minds as shown by many studies into the additional support techniques needed for the elderly who wish to be independent and continue living at home for longer. This is not so much about protection against burglary, but rather protecting the person himself, reflecting the fact that, when the elderly live at home alone, a major concern is that they will not be able to contact anyone were they to get ill, fall or for whatever reason suddenly to need help. Rapid and even automatically triggered communication with care providers, volunteers, family, and the like is essential. In this article we will look at what is currently available to set this up, always bearing in mind that the choice of a given solution should be tailored to suit the mental and physical condition, the needs and requirements of the individual in question.

Basic integrated home system functions for the elderly

With an ageing European population and there being fewer young people in the population, we will have to ensure that, where they wish to do so, the elderly can continue to live at home independently for longer. There are various ways this can be achieved but it is not the aim to swamp independent elderly people with a mass of unwanted technical gizmos they will probably never use, rather, in the first instance, professional social workers (the GP, district nurse, home help, volunteers, carers) will want to assess the individual’s needs to determine what techniques can be usefully applied to a specific case. As someone, for example, in a wheelchair will have different needs to someone who is in the early stages of dementia, this article will only address the basic, commonly relevant functions that can be applied to every home or apartment where the independent elderly live. We will also make a rough estimate of the costs.

Mains powered automated homes for the elderly

As the options grow for homes to become increasingly automated, throughout them the innovative use of traditional electrical installations is ever more apparent. All too frequently however, such innovations are restricted to appliances and equipment that are mainly suited for larger, luxury dwellings, with many of the manufacturers of these products only targetting this quite narrow top-end of the market.

Service Flats with Technology

As national demographics see an ever increasing growth in the older age groups, so there is a significant demand for homes that cater to this market and to people who, for whatever reason, require some form of assisted living in their home to enable them to stay there rather than being cared for away from home – privately or by the state.

Interreg IIIC Telemedicine Project Concluded

This briefing paper presents the findings of the project 'Telemedicine and the consequences for urban planning and development' running from 2003 to 2007 in 4 countries.

See also

eCourse on integrated home systems (137 pages, available online as eBook or pdf)

About Guy Kasier

Born in 1953 in Ghent, Guy Kasier gained his specialist diploma in electronics and subsequently worked for 12 years as a therapist in a psychiatric centre. During this period, he also was awarded a diploma in orthopedagogics, making him one of those rare people who combine a technical background with experience in the care sector.

In 1991, he returned to his roots to specialize in the emerging field of domotic systems. Most recently, he has been operating freelance in three areas within the field of domotics: education and training, editing and consulting. He is an external advisor to the VEI (Vlaams Elektro Innovatiecentrum – Flemish Innovation Centre for the electrical sector) and to producers of domotic systems. He writes for De Elektro Krant (trade magazine for installers) and produces manuals and training materials for manufacturers such as Bticino, Teletask, Niko and Legrand. He also manages and co-ordinates installers and teachers in the Vormelek Initiative (organizing training in the electrical sector). He considers new technologies to be important, but not at the expense of either their user friendliness or their practical application for the end user.