Safety wristbands and call buttons have long been important aids for the elderly. LAB’s test home is full of new technology, which allows you to manage at home longer, even if the need for care increases.
Tuusjärvi sits down in an armchair and lifts the cat into his arms, which starts to purr and purr.
– This is a social cat robot that reacts to touch. It brings pleasure and comfort, and its ultimate purpose is to fight the loneliness that torments many who live alone.
The apartment provides many examples of how modern technology can help people living alone, especially the elderly, to cope with various everyday situations. The apartment has, for example, a medicine cassette that reminds you when to take the medicine. It also ensures that medicines are not taken too soon.
– For example, it can be difficult for many elderly people to use a mobile phone, and that’s why we have such a large table model with clear buttons on the screen for the most important contact persons. The call can be made with one touch, explains Tuusjärvi.
safety first
Along with coping with everyday chores and combating loneliness, safety is of course of paramount importance. In the test home, special efforts have been made to ensure that the resident is not left without help when an accident or illness strikes.
– Here, for example, there are sensors that continuously produce real-time information about the resident’s functionality and also sound an alarm if something unusual happens.
Supporting living at home is of paramount importance if we want the elderly to be able to get by at home for as long as possible. The need for support is growing all the time.
There are currently half a million people over 75 in Finland. Two thirds of them live alone in their own home.
– Institution places are being reduced at the same time as the share of elderly people in the population is increasing, says Tuusjärvi.
New technology and artificial intelligence are therefore needed in more and more households. At the same time, more and more financial responsibility is transferred to customers.
– Acquiring these devices more often falls on the shoulders of those who live alone or their loved ones. The situation is of course different if you get home care or a serviced apartment.
LAB Welltech’s test home produces important information, for example, about the availability of devices that support the everyday life of a single person.
– Our task is to increase people’s awareness that technology can help in everyday life. With the help of the test home, we also get information about how these technical solutions work and for what needs they can be used. It is of the utmost importance to think about exactly which everyday things you need help and support for, Tuusjärvi clarifies.
*You can discuss the topic until 23:00 on Sunday 2 April 2023.*