Accommodation concerns for people with disability led to investment to develop purpose-built housing and accommodation. There are opportunities here for innovative solutions to enable active participation in the community and offer individuals a real choice about where they live.
Leviton’s Automation products utilise integrated processing which ensure their products are extremely reliable. It's for this reason that Leviton has won a recent string of Assisted Living Projects carried out by the Victorian TAC. This video shows how Leviton’s smart-home technology enables people with a disability to maximise their independence while always having access to 24 hour support.
A collaborative project with the Transport Accident Commission and Common Equity Housing Limited aims to provide evidence that could drive this change and demonstrate that people with disability can live independently with the assistance of smart technology. The aim is to show the positive impact that age-appropriate, well designed and well-located housing can have on the lives of people with disability.
Users can use their smart phone or tablet to unlock and open doors, open and close window blinds, control the air-conditioning and turn lights on and off. Communications technology also enables residents to contact staff when necessary.
It is recognised that the model of support will change greatly over time as residents settle in and become more comfortable and independent using technology and equipment. Their feedback will change the shape of future delivery.
Woodville West Urban Renewal Smart Living Project
Finding a solution to this problem was the driver for development of eight ‘smart living’ apartments at the Woodville West site in Adelaide, each featuring cutting-edge assistive technologies for people with disabilities.
The integration of assistive technologies into the apartment enables choice and control for people with a disability living alone. Each apartment is NBN connected and a concierge service is available for assistance, emergency and after-hours support 24 hours a day, providing security and peace of mind for the individual and friends and family.
The technology was used allow for an all in one integration model. Each apartment features an automated system with an integrated call system (to an onsite concierge), environmental controls and communication devices, enabling significantly increased independence for residents. The apartments include sensory alerts to make emergency calls, smart communication such as Skype on TV, automatic intercoms, passive monitoring and remote controls for doors, blinds, light switches and appliances.
Abbotsford Housing Demonstration Project
The Abbotsford Housing Demonstration Project was established to take a different approach to personal planning for tenants and to the components of housing and support to enable inclusive community living. The project tackled the misalignment between three critical components in the approach to addressing inclusive community living: improving personal outcomes; increasing the individual’s capacity for more independent living; and reducing the long term support costs for people with complex support requirements.
Through careful specification, each apartment emphasised quality household appliances, assistive technology, good design and adaptability to contribute to amenity, convenience, low cost maintenance, security and accessibility.
- Each tenant can alert staff at any time in the event of an emergency or need for urgent unplanned assistance using a range of devices (such as pendant, alert on the wall, alert button on an iPad or smart phone). In response to the alert, staff can make two-way voice contact with the tenant in their unit through hands free speakers and microphones located in all major rooms in their unit
- Via an iPad or smartphone tenants can operate the lighting, blinds, heating and cooling in their units as well as open the door to their unit and open the door to the apartment building to let visitors in.
Source:
Assistive Health Technologies for Independent Living. Australia Council of Learned Academies.
Transport Accident Commission.
Summer Foundation.