[31^st July, 2017 (Mon)] As a smart city, information technology products have become a vital part of the day-to-day life of Hong Kong people. The Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) has initiated the Smart Home For Seniors Pilot Programme, which aims to pioneer a platform for home-based elderly care that integrates smart home technology with the vast experience that SCHSA has built up over the past 20 years. Anchored in the high level of support from our sophisticated Call and Care Centre, the Pilot Programme seeks to minimise home accidents for the elderly that involve wet bathrooms or fire from unattended cooking. Ultimately, we want to empower our senior citizens to age more independently, safely and smartly.     

According to the Department of Health’s Centre of Health Protection, one in five elderly aged 65 or above has experienced a fall at home; while recent researches indicated that elderly would be easily get hurt by home accidents and kitchens and bathrooms are the accident “Black Spots”. The Smart Home for Seniors Pilot Programme has designed a Smart Home for Seniors Test Lab which is fitted with different types of tiny sensors with systematic configurations to detect unusual readings in a home environment. Applications in Kitchen and Bathroom will be the first two key testing areas. For instance, if the stove area in the kitchen are in high temperature for a long time, or there is standing water on the bathroom floor, sensor will be triggered to send a signal to notify SCHSA’s 24-hour Call and Care Centre, who will immediately contact the elderly or their family members.

The three-year Smart Home for Seniors Pilot Programme is initiated and operated by SCHSA, and funded by the HSBC 150th Anniversary Charity Programme. The Smart Home for Seniors Test Lab has been set up in the SCHSA Oi Man Centre for service development and demonstration purposes. The Smart Home for Seniors Test Lab will be open for visits soon, and a total of 1,000 eligible seniors will be invited to join a Smart Home for Seniors free trial. Each pilot user will have a free trial customized for their home.      

Ms. Helen Wong, Chief Executive, Greater China, HSBC, said: “Through the HSBC 150^th Anniversary Charity Programme, HSBC has been supporting local charities for the benefit of the community. As one of the funded projects, SCHSA’s Smart Home for Seniors Pilot Programme puts technology at the heart of day-to-day life to enhance the elderly’s quality of life.”

Ms. Irene Leung, Chief Executive Officer of SCHSA, said: “ ‘Smart Home’ solutions are becoming more popular in recent years, however, most of these offers are focusing on home automation and ambience, and the cost could be quite high. Leveraging on Internet-of-Things (IOT) technology, SCHSA hopes to develop a series of smart home services for the elderly that are adaptable to the general domestic home environment, easy to install and use, with privacy and affordable, so as to facilitate ‘ageing in place’ herein Hong Kong. “

Details of the Smart Home for Seniors Pilot Programme, as well as information on group visits to the Smart Home for Seniors Test Lab, are available at www.schsa.org.hk. Alternatively, email smarthome@schsa.org.hk for more information.

Initiated and operated by SCHSA, and funded by the HSBC 150th Anniversary Charity Programme, the Smart Home for Seniors Pilot Programme aims to develop new, user-friendly preventive elderly home care services.

Designed with a smart city backdrop and recreating a real home setting, the Smart Home for Seniors Test Lab uses interactive demonstrations to enable visitors to understand and experience the concept of smart home services.