“I felt so very guilty. My grandmother lay with a broken hip on her bathroom floor for hours before the cleaner arrived and discovered her. We had bought her a call-for-help transmitter. She refused to wear it and always left it on her bedside-table”. This is a true story that replicates itself far too often all over the world where elderly people live alone. Unfortunately, many of us have been in the worrying situation of having a frail loved one living by themselves, and and being unable to check on them frequently. Now, new innovative smart home technology keeps people happy at home for longer.
In the past, if short-term help was necessary due to an accident or sudden illness onset, the options to call for help were limited. Either the person had to be able to reach their phone, or use a constantly worn “call for help” transmitter. Both these options are subject to high rates of failure. This can either be due to lack of self-concern on the part of the person, or because of forgetfulness. The need to carry an object at all times in case of an emergency will generally not register with people who feel safe in their own homes.
Until now, the only other possibilities to create a safer environment, such as installing a pressure sensor-filled floor to detect falls and movement, were extremely costly, and invasive to install in the home. This has recently changed thanks to the advent of Aragon; a low-cost, easy to install voice-controlled smart home system.
The advantages of Aragon
Aragon has an enormous advantage over the traditional methods. Installation throughout throughout the house is simple to carry out. The inhabitant is in speaking distance of the device at all times, therefore can call for if help if needed. With Aragon’s high computing power and Machine Learning ability, it can perform multiple tasks. The device can be connected to low-cost motion sensors which send information to the assistant via radio-waves. Aragon records and interprets the data, building up an insight into the regular behaviours of the person or people living in the home. Using this data, the assistant can then predict future behaviours and detect striking anomalies in the routine, setting off a prompt response to ask the person if there is a problem. In lieu of non-response, Aragon will communicate with a helper to raise an alarm.
Thanks to Aragon’s predictive ability and learning capacity, the assistant does not need pre-programmed knowledge of the individual’s behaviours to work. This, in turn, reduces the cost and setup time considerably. Aragon can learn to disregard erratic movement caused by a pet dog or cat, which could otherwise cause many false alarms. It is also capable of understanding whether the resident has left the home through evaluation using a wireless door contact on the door and motion detectors.
Aragon gives you peace of mind
By installing Aragon in the home of loved ones who live alone, you can sleep easy knowing that you will be notified in case of any incident that befalls them. Of course, technology can never replace human observation fully. However, for the periods in which there is no other physical presence in the house, you can have peace of mind that the situation is being monitored by Aragon. On top of that, the assistant can improve the daily lives of the inhabitants. Tasks such as the operation of lights, curtains, heating, and media technology are considerably simplified by using voice control. The knowledge that your elderly family members are safe will reduce your daily stress load. They will be happier thanks to being independent. Their autonomy can last for a much longer time period than would have traditionally been possible.
You can find out more about the ease of installing and setting up Aragon on ProKNX
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