As Singapore faces an increasingly ageing population, the digital world and its stream of solutions are one to leverage. With smart homes being associated with several benefits and the ability to promote a sense of overall well-being, utilising such technologically advanced systems is the key to the enhancement of the lives of the elderly. From tracking sleep patterns to ensuring optimal safety and security, relying on smart home automation supports independent living and eases resource strains on families.

An estimated 32% of Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above by 2035. With the average age of the local population currently being 42.2 years old, there is an ever-increasing need to create an environment that facilitates positive ageing – and the society is scrambling to support the rapidly ageing population.

Defined as the process to develop and maintain the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age, advocating positive ageing is a must. Focused on counteracting the demographic challenge by adding value to the lives of the elderly, many are turning to smart home technologies to assist them. How does employing smart care solutions help, and what are some of the smart home devices for the elderly? We cover them in this blog.

Value of Home Automation for the Elderly and Disabled

Automation, satisfaction, and independence are the positive relations smart home solution providers aim to enforce when attempting to maximise the capacity for home-based care. With the looming healthcare provider shortage and increasing difficulty for families to be the main caregivers, emerging smart technologies have become pivotal in elderly care.

Smart Home Devices for the Elderly by HomeAuto

Facilitating the development of ageing-in-place, smart care solutions by HomeAuto meet the demands of safety, security and health at home. Recording, storing, and analysing data, as well as acting as the eyes and ears for the elderly, establishing a smart home automation system with the HomeAuto Gateway central control system, offers care to the ageing population in Singapore in the following ways.

1. Water Leakage Sensors (Flood Sensor) & Smart Locks

Dementia prevalence is projected to increase to 5.8% by 2020 – that translates to about 70,000 people. Our Water leakage sensor (Flood Sensor) determines if an elderly has forgotten to turn the tap off. Upon flood detection, an alarm sounds off, and notifications can even be sent to the next-of-kin, preventing possible slips, falls, electrocution, or drowning – pairing such devices with our SOS button only makes for a safer home. Misplaced keys will also become an issue of the past with fingerprint authentication features in our smart locks.

2. Motion, Door & Contact Sensors

Motion sensors recognise patterns in daily activities and generate alerts should there be deviations. Detecting motion, or the lack thereof, every degree of activity is recorded, providing real-time information on accidents such as falls. 

Installed onto main doors and medication boxes, our contact sensors detect when a person leaves and returns home or if they’ve taken their medication. Each time the medication box is opened, the data generated can be analysed to determine if medication is being taken promptly.

3. Sleep Tracker

From recording heart and breath rates to quality of sleep, our sleep tracker makes monitoring one’s health easy. If the data collected is used in tandem with their healthcare provider, there is great potential in improving not just one’s quality of sleep, but life as well.

4. Monitoring Solutions

The HomeAuto CCTV, when integrated into a smart home, allows for remote surveillance to ensure safety. With video streaming features accessible on our app, immediate checks can be done upon receiving alerts of anomalous activities.

The adoption of a smart home automation system with the necessary devices geared to accommodate the elderly is a step towards technology acceptance and positive ageing. Providing you with all the necessary information at your fingertips, these smart care solutions are a sure-fire way to enhance independence and quality of life for the ageing population in Singapore. For more information on our stream of services, contact us at [email protected].