Independent Living Technology

Supporting you to remain in your home

Do you need assistance at home?

Some of us may need assistance around the home...if this is you or someone you may know, then find out below how our independent living solutions may be able to help you.

Background to our approach

In 2022, Policy Connect on behalf of 'The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology', released the ‘Smart Homes for Independent Living’ report.

Some of its findings relating to independent living technology market, were frankly very disappointing:

  • "The specialist independent living technology market has seen little innovation in recent decades.”
  • "Tools are often reactive rather than proactive in the way they address people’s requirements, making them inappropriate for independent living and early intervention services”
  • “The specialist market is also dominated by a medical model approach to disability that focuses too much on augmenting the limitations of people’s bodies and overcoming specific barriers people face to interacting with their environment.”
  • “There is not enough focus on how technology can be used to give people more options to live in and use their home the way they choose”

At the same time, Automated Spaces identified that most activity monitoring solutions, currently on the market, could only generate alerts to a third party to respond. Therefore, any small issue identified by the activity monitoring solution requires someone else to step in and provide assistance. This loss of independence can be very demeaning for a service user.

1https://www.policyconnect.org.uk/research/smarter-homes-independent-living

Evolution to Independent Living Smart Spaces

Automated Spaces has created a unique approach, we firmly believe provides a true evolution of independent living technology, and moves beyond traditional proprietary assistive technology devices and 'DIY Installation' smart home devices.

Our ‘ Independent Living Smart Spaces’ solution combines all the benefits of a smart home hub with an activity monitoring solution. One of the major benefits of using a smart home hub, at the heart of the solution, is that we have a platform in place that can offer the following clear advantages:

  • The smart home hub provides the ability to control and automate various devices and systems in your home, you can easily manage your home’s lighting, heating and cooling, security, and entertainment.
  • These capabilities can be deployed in a modular way in line with the specific requirements of that service user.
  • The control of many elements within the service users’ home can be provided via a single user interface rather than having to jump between various manufacturers’ own specific smart app.
  • This individual smart home hub user interface can be easily customised and tailored, for the exact needs of the service user, making it as intuitive as possible.
  • We can deploy a wider range of sensor types to more effectively monitor activity in the home as it relates to the service users’ health.
  • The smart home hub can trigger proactive actions or ‘Nudges’ within the home in response to events/alerts generated by the activity monitoring.

Overall, combining a smart home and an activity monitoring solution can provide a more comprehensive and integrated approach to healthcare, that can support people in living independently in their own homes while also improving their overall health and well-being.

If you would like to discuss how any of our ‘Independent Living Smart Spaces’ solutions could help you, or a loved one, live more independently feel free to connect with us or complete ourIndependent Living Smart Spaces Specification Tool.

Independent Living Smart Spaces Specification Tool

Independent Living Smart Spaces (Main version)

Independent Living Smart Spaces Specification Tool

Welcome to the Automated Spaces' Independent Living Smart Spaces Specification Tool.

Answer the questions below to create your bespoke Independent Living Smart Spaces specification.

Your Details

Please provide your details below

  • What is your first name? (This question is required)
  • What is your surname? (This question is required)
  • What is your business title?
  • What is your company name?
  • What is your mobile number? (This question is required)
  • What is your email address? (This is the email address where we will send the specification summary)

Service User's Details

Please provide the service user's details below

  • Service user's condition (Select the service user's conditions):
    • Autism
    • Blind
    • Deaf
    • Dementia
    • Mobility Challenges
    • OCD
    • Traumatic Brain Injury (This question is required)

Note:

  • Currently you can only explore one condition at one time

What are ‘Nudges’?

Alerts generated by the activity monitoring, in the right circumstances, can trigger a suitable action on the smart home hub to support an individual to help themselves in the first instance e.g., if someone hasn’t been in their kitchen by 10am in the morning, then they likely have not had breakfast.

Rather than sending an alert to a third party to step in and check on the person, we can trigger an audible ‘Nudge’ announcement played over a speaker in the home to encourage the person to consider having breakfast.

With the added reassurance that if the person doesn’t respond to the ‘Nudge’, then after an appropriate amount of time, this issue will then be escalated to a third party for them to take the required action.

Independent Living Smart Spaces Show House

We have a show house based in Melton Mowbray, a town in Leicestershire, which you can visit and see an in person demonstration of our 'Independent Living Smart Spaces' solutions that provide the types of support mentioned in the example use cases listed below:

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG)

With the recent updates to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) delivery guidance, the types of Assistive Technologies that can be implemented as part of a successful DFG award have been expanded to include:

7.8 Controlling sources of power, light and heat

  • Smart lighting that can be remotely turned on and off, made brighter or dimmed, change colour and synchronise with other devices
  • Smart thermostats that can automatically learn user temperature preferences and self-adjust when users leave or enter a room, and be remotely controlled via a smart phone or another device
  • Smart hubs that allow people to control household devices and appliances using a voice activated assistant, an app on their smart phone or an alternative assistive technology.
  • Infrared controlled power sockets to switch devices on and off with a remote control
  • Automated light switches that can be activated using voice commands, a smart phone app, or via sensor triggered by movement or a timer

Improving digital connectivity within a dwelling 7.9 Local authorities should note that some products may need a suitable level of digital connectivity to function. If the dwelling does not already have the necessary infrastructure to support assistive technologies, they may use the Disabled Facilities Grant to fund capital equipment if it is required to support the overall package of adaptations to the home such as:

  • Wireless routers
  • Wi-Fi signal extenders
  • Cabling

If you would like to know more about how we could supply the types of independent living or home networking solutions detailed above then please feel free to use the button below

NHS Continuing Care Package

If you qualify for a NHS Continuing Healthcare Package then many of our independent living solutions could help you to remain in your home; that promote your independence whilst also reducing the impact on your carers.

We have solutions that can assist you in your home across many different and often complex health needs.