The Return of the Digital House
By Soat, John; Information Week,Publication Date: October 9, 2007
Review of a session at the 2007 SIMposium conference entitled “Transforming Health Care Delivery and Aging Services.” Delivered by James Albert, CIO of Masonicare, a not-for-profit provider of retirement-living communities, the presentation outlined digital technologies available and under development to aid ailing seniors in living by themselves in their homes: (1) Safety devices such as Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS); (2) Vital-signs monitors, able to be read remotely by caregivers; (3) Activity of Daily Living (ADL) monitors, such as motion sensors to track a person’s whereabouts; (4) Reminder devices, e.g. to prompt a person to take medication; (5) Location/navigation systems; (6) Smart appliances which can be programmed, e.g. stoves that turn themselves off; (7) “Smart” canes and walkers, and robots that can perform simple chores; and (8) Communication devices: cell phones, video, Internet. Also mentioned were car makers working on vehicles that drive themselves in limited, controlled situations, e.g. not backing up or going forward if something is in the way, and Masonicare’s work in development of “smart” apartments with door sensors, motion detectors, and smart lights.
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