Aging in place is a term that has been coined to help you or your loved ones continue living a full life in the home of your choice. It isn’t about growing old; it is about being prepared for the changes in your life that occur as you grow older.
Many adaptions are required as we age but emerging technologies (IFTTT, WiFi Enabled Smart Plugs and Smart Lights, controllable thermostats, Wifi enabled door locks) when coupled with voice control technologies (Amazon Alexa and Google Home) can be used to ease that transition and support us as we stay in our homes.
Consider a possible nighttime scenario. It’s time for bed and you want to secure your house and get things set. A single voice command for example (Alexa, Goodnight) could if programmed successfully could :
- check to see that your doors are closed and if they are automatically lock them (if not then it could notify you)
- turn on the lights down the hallway and in your bedroom and turn down the lights in the living room
- after a motion sensor detects that you have entered the bedroom, turn out the lights in the living room and hallway
- turn the security system on
Take for example another scenario. The doorbell rings, you get a picture or a video of the person at the door on your phone. If you want to allow this person into your home you would say (Alexa, open door) and the WiFi enabled door would open allowing the person to enter your home.
The uses of these assistive technologies is a personal choice but I encourage you to look at the technologies available to you and choose those the most match your lifesyle.
Your Calgary IT is an active participant in developing and supporting assistive technologies for persons with mobility disabilities and for seniors choosing to live at home.
