Smart Retirement, Assisted Living & Shading
Technology is not just for the younger generation anymore. As advancements in medicine and health are helping us to live longer, technology is being increasingly used by more people in every generation.
It’s fair to say there has been a huge rise in the popularity of smart devices in recent years. In 2019 there were 24.2m Smart Homes in Europe – this is expected to rise to 59m by 2023. It’s safe to assume smart tech isn’t going away.
Whilst smart technology has advantages and uses for every demographic, there are ways it can specifically benefit the older population. Particularly, those who may need additional support to live in their homes but aren’t ready to give up their independence.
Whilst in a traditional assisted living or retirement home you would expect to see round the clock care workers in the property, but by utilising assistive technology older people can look after their own needs and be less reliant on carers. Assistive technology can also be hugely beneficial for those with disabilities or mobility issues.
Smart retirement and assisted living homes can use smart tech to manage:
- Security e.g., smart locks, security cameras, window/door sensors, doorbell cameras
- Health e.g., tracking medication, pre-set reminders to take medication
- Household appliances e.g., voice-activated speakers, smart TV, coffee machines
- Heating and air conditioning e.g., heating or air conditioning automatically coming on to keep rooms at the desired temperature, thermometers that can feed data back to the smart home system etc
- Lighting e.g., controlling lighting with an app or voice control, outdoor lighting coming on when the resident comes home so the pathway is lit
Smart tech can also be used to control blinds and curtains. There are many benefits to the resident and their carers for having smart shading in the home.
Let’s discuss the advantages.
Ease of use
For residents with limited mobility or who have trouble moving around, smart shading is much easier to use. Manual shading such as traditional curtains or manually operated blinds can be heavy to operate, or difficult to reach. The chain or curtain can also be difficult to hold if the user has grip issues such as arthritis.
Even standard motorised blinds that use a remote control or switch can be difficult to use as it still requires the user to get up and physically press the remote or switch, which might not be easy.
Automated shading controlled by a smart home system can help massively with this. Most binds and curtain tracks can be connected to a voice assistant such as Alexa or google home through a smart home hub. This means the user can open or close their blinds or curtains just using voice commands, so they don’t need to do anything physically.
This can even be taken one step further with scenes. Scenes, or sequences, are essentially pre-set instructions for your shading that tell them when to open and close. For example, it can be set up so that at 7 am your curtains will open, and the light come on automatically, saving the resident from having to do this themselves.
Energy Saving
Staying in their home instead of moving to a retirement facility will usually save the resident a large amount of money. And whilst installing a smart home system sounds like a large expense, it can save the homeowner money in the long run.
An automated shading solution is the most effective way to improve light and heat levels in a building as it means the blinds can react to sunlight levels and temperature in real time.
When shades are static, it forces heating and air-conditioning systems to work longer and harder to maintain a consistent internal environment. Over-using central heating and air conditioning unnecessarily can quickly raise a home’s energy bill, and with energy costs constantly on the rise, reducing energy usage should be everyone’s concern.
Wellbeing
Daylight has a significant impact on our lives; by controlling the balance of natural and artificial light our feeling of well-being is increased.
The Centre for Health Design noted that light impacts human health by controlling the body’s circadian rhythm, affecting mood and perception, and by enabling critical chemical reactions in the body. By automating internal light levels with smart shading, you can ensure better wellbeing for residents.
Aesthetics
Whilst technology is essential it’s also important to make sure that blinds and curtains are visually in keeping with a beautiful room design. A range of designs and styles are available for residents who want to add their own personal touch.
Motorised blinds don’t have any chains or crank handles that might be considered an eyesore. On a free-hanging roller blind like Helios, when it’s motorised, all that’s visible is the fabric, hembar and brackets. Or you can hide the brackets with a cassette, which gives you a neat and clean install.
Maintaining independence is as much about having control over how you live as it is about making sure your home is how you want it to look. Being able to express personality and character through interior design is another way of expressing independence which might otherwise be lost in a traditional retirement home.
Are you working on a project with assisted living or smart retirement properties? Or looking to add this tech to your own home?
Get in touch with a member of our sales team to discuss the smart home systems available to you and which one might best fit your needs.