Aged care home of the future
A futuristic home unit to test technology designed to help frail elderly, chronically ill and disabled people to live independently has been opened in Brisbane.
University of Southern Queensland Associate Professor and Convenor of the Queensland Smart Home Initiative (QSHI) Jeffrey Soar says the ‘smart home’ located at the Kenmore Blue Care Retirement Village aims to promote more options for independent living and home care.
“The unit will be equipped with stateof- the-art technology designed for safety and security; for example, it will monitor if gas is left on at the stove and will also have a flood detector,” he said.
“Technology includes bed and chair sensors and devices to enable consumers to have their vital signs monitored and to communicate with their doctor or carer,” he said.
Over the next 12 months the unit will be monitored by researchers to assess the viability of the technology.
The Queensland Smart Home Initiative is a consortium which includes Blue Care, Tunstall, Intel, Ekoliving, Queensland University of Technology and the Collaboration for Ageing and Aged Care Informatics at the University of Southern Queensland.
Website: http://www.qldsmarthome.com
Last reviewed 24 July 2007
