This presentation focuses on defining and learning about “smart home” technology and how these devices can be integrated into home and work environments to enhance independence, safety and quality of life. Funding resources for the acquisition of smart home devices are also discussed.
Objectives:
Learn about the wide array of affordable technology
Discover how widely available technology can support individuals with disabilities
Identify ways that Smart Home technology can help in transition
Speakers:
Kirby Smith, founder and President of SunKirb Ideas, LLC. In July of 2014, his wife, Suria, was injured and became a quadriplegic. He found the technology being offered to improve her life was outdated, expensive, and very limited due to customizations. Suddenly, simple everyday things were challenging. They solved those issues and July 2015 formed a company to bring these solutions to an underserved population. SunKirb Ideas, LLC offers affordable off-the-shelf consumer based solutions through technology to give those with disabilities and unique challenges the ability to be more independent and have more control of their environment. This enabled people to control the lights, temperature, turn on and off alarms, control their doors, control music and entertainment, see and communicate remotely, and control the televisions (including the cable box, TiVo, Netflix and Hulu) using voice commands.
Susan Tachau, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the non-profit, Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), Pennsylvania’s Alternative Financing Program as designated by the federal Assistive Technology Act. PATF is also a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). PATF helps individuals with disabilities and seniors acquire the assistive technology – including smart home devices – they want in order to live a more independent and satisfying life. PATF has helped more than 3,300 individuals with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians finance assistive technology with loans worth more than $37 million.
Imagine using your smart phone to take an EKG (echocardiogram) in seconds and having that information instantly sent to your doctor to track your cardiac conditions. Sounds futuristic, right? That future is happening right now.
Smart technology for your health, also called health tech, is evolving at a rapid pace. The healthcare industry and tech industry are merging ideas to design wearable devices, mobile devices and apps that can help manage your health. These devices can assist with self-care, preventative care, aid caregivers by monitoring loved ones and also enable doctors to diagnose their patients quickly.
The possibilities are seemingly endless. Health-tech devices, apps and wearables can measure and track vital signs, glucose and insulin levels, heart conditions, asthma, allergies, skin conditions, UV exposure, contractions during pregnancy, sleep patterns, and even tremors in Parkinson’s disease.
Self Care
There are many ways your phone can help you care for yourself. If you are feeling blue, there are mood elevating apps, and even apps where you can speak to a therapist. To care for your mind and body, there are meditation apps, brainteaser apps, fitness tracker and weight loss apps. Here are some examples of self-care apps.
For patients that have difficulty leaving home, there are mobile apps that can directly connect you by video to a board certified doctor. There is even an app to help locate a local restaurant nearby that serves meals to meet your specific dietary needs! food allergy apps
Helping Caregivers
Devices can lend a hand to caregivers by remotely notifying them if a loved one forgets to take their medicine pill drill. Also, wearable devices with GPS capability can help caregivers track a loved one’s safety in case of a fall or wandering away from home watchu.
Timing can be Everything
Health data can be collected in real-time through wearables to track activity levels for patients recovering from an illness or to show if a new treatment plan is effective. Doctors can use medical apps to quickly and effectively share test results and images with other specialists to better treat a patient. In some cases, this information can be captured through the device and sent to the doctor electronically without requiring the patient to come into the office.
Preventative Care
Corporations are starting to use smart-tech wellness programs to promote and support healthy lifestyles of their employees, sometimes offering cash incentives to stay on track. Perhaps this will lead to lower healthcare costs in the future.
For more information, here are some articles with the latest health-tech trends:
Living where you want to live can be the difference between feeling vulnerable or feeling safe; feeling isolated or feeling part of a community. As Jane Austen once wrote, “There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.” Aging in place is defined by the Centers for Disease Control as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.” Most people prefer to do so for as long as possible. But, loneliness, isolation and safety concerns are common experiences for older adults, especially those living alone. Smart home technology—devices that let you communicate with others, provide information and entertainment, and let you control your lighting, thermostat, or even your Crock-Pot using your voice or smartphone—is a rapidly growing industry seeing increasing introduction to homes. Generic smart home technology can increase independence for people of all ages, specifically those aging in place. In fact, the two are so compatible, that the trend toward aging in place may be one of the biggest catalysts of some of this technology.
Devices such as smart locks, door openers and cameras can all serve as simple solutions to increase home accessibility and security, and to take visitability to the next level. Regarding aging in place, visitability is an important growing design approach for new homes, with the main principle that a resident or non-resident with mobility difficulties, who perhaps uses a wheelchair or other mobility device, should be able to visit or live in the home. While the base requirements for visitability are widened doorways and hallways, 0-step entry, and a half bath on the first floor, there is even more than can be done to make hosting easier for the resident. For example, an older adult with mobility issues may have a difficult time making it to their front door quickly after they hear their doorbell or a knock. With an automated door opener, they can unlock and open their door from anywhere in the house using a smart device and/or voice command.
Various devices with cameras can increase an older adult’s safety when located both inside and outside of their home. Smart doorbells on the exterior of the home, such as Ring, allow you to see who is at your door without having to physically go to the door, which can be especially helpful when mobility is limited. Amazon Echo Showallows for video calls with family that are as simple as saying the words, “Alexa, call my grandkids.” In-home cameras, like those available through Nest, can ensure your loved one is being well-cared for by in-home care providers and that they are safe inside their home when no one is with them. However, it is important to note that there is a fine line to balance between respecting your loved one’s privacy and being able to see at-will into your loved one’s home. Cameras can cause privacy concerns and warrant a discussion with the elder adult before installation. Review the implications of adding cameras inside, and make sure the individual understands and has given permission.
Falls are always a major safety concern associated with aging, especially for those living alone. Smart home technology includes the ability to use one’s voice to also turn lights on and off. Being able to turn a light on with your voice can eliminate the need to walk to the switch in the dark if it is not nearby, ultimately helping to prevent falls by having a well-lit room before moving about. Smart hallway lights with motion sensors turn on when the individual gets up to use the bathroom in the night. If someone does fall and cannot get back up, they can call for help using a smart automated assistant such as Amazon Alexa, Google assistant or Apple Siri. Once someone arrives, the person needing help can use their voice to open the door and let the person in to assist them.
Smart home technology also allows for many types of automation that, after set-up, take little or no effort on the part of the resident. For instance, wearable fall sensors automatically send an alert to a loved one’s smartphone when they detect that the user has fallen. Door sensors can send alerts when the older adult leaves the home, in case there are concerns for wandering. Smart lights can be programmed to turn on in the front hall and on the porch when the resident pulls in the driveway with their smartphone.
For older adults becoming forgetful, there are smart home devices that can provide reminders. Smart appliances can track items in the refrigerator, pantry and pill cabinet when there are concerns about the older adult not eating enough and/or forgetting to take medications. These appliances provide notification and warnings depending on conditions they are set to monitor, such as using the sending an alert to a smartphone if pills are not taken on schedule (see PillDrill for an example). In addition, if an older adult has someone shop for them, they can tell the automated assistant in a smart device to add items to their shopping list via voice command, and the shared list will be instantly updated in the shared app.
Smart home technology can be intimidating, and change can be uncomfortable. Older adults grew up with less technology than today’s youth and often feel apprehensive, lacking confidence when using automated devices. However, with the growing market of smart home technology that is activated by a simple voice command or set up to be completely automated, older adults are being asked to step less out of their comfort zone in order to reap the benefits. Once someone gets comfortable speaking to a device, there is little training and few changes necessary to the person’s habits and lifestyle. There are also friendly instructive videos and apps to support those less comfortable with technology as they increase their tech confidence and savvy. Ultimately, generic smart home devices are costing less and less, and are becoming more and more user-friendly. For those aging in place, these devices help them improve their independence and quality of life, no matter their age or ability.
Want to learn more about aging in place with technology? Check out the Aging in Place Technology Watch blog.And, of course, you can learn more about smart home technology and how it’s being used as assistive technology for both older adults as well as people with disabilities at our website: SmartHomesMadeSimple.org.
Interested in smart home technology but not sure how you can afford it? Give us a call. We have extensive experience with available funding resources and can help you find what you need and afford it, too.
It’s first thing in the morning and Kyle just woke up. He enters the kitchen and walks towards the Echo Show. He selects a pre-programmed question from his phone. “Echo, did the Phillies win last night?” Echo replies, and Kyle is pleased.
If you thought Alexa or Google Home devices couldn’t work with alternative communicators, you are mistaken! This was me. As a mom always looking for ways to help her son maximize his independence, I thought anything that requires voice activation would only cause him frustration. I was dismissing intelligent personal assistant devices because of my son’s limited verbal communication skills. What I am discovering is with a little creativity, it’s not only possible, but also empowering.
My son Kyle is 19 years old and a typical teen in so many ways. He loves sports, music, friends, his dogs, and is never without his iPhone. He uses many ways to communicate, including pictures on his phone, informal gestures, some ASL sign language and some limited verbal speech. We have always encouraged a total communication approach or any alternative way to help him get his point across, including AAC. I didn’t know if an intelligent personal assistant would be able to understand him, but I wanted to try.
Since Kyle is a visual learner, we chose the Echo Show over the other products on the market . Not only can he hear Echo’s answers, but a visual appears on the screen, like the weather report or Phillies score.
At first, Kyle was curious and watched us talk to Echo, but wasn’t confident to try it himself. We used “Echo” as our wake up word instead of Alexa, Amazon or computer because Echo was the easiest for Kyle to verbally say. On our first attempt with the Echo, I tried to ask for a reminder to drop off my son’s Toyota at the service station for inspection. This seemed simple enough. Echo repeated to me, “Ok, you have a reminder for 3pm to drop off the toilet!” Toilet?? (Clearly, there is going to be a learning curve here!) I explained to Kyle that Echo was having trouble understanding me. I think watching my failed attempt gave Kyle permission to try it himself; he had nothing to lose. He tried it. “Echo, drop off Toy…Toyota”. With Kyle’s slight speech stutter, Echo interpreted, “OK, drop off the torah torah”. This wasn’t right either. I was ready to give up, thinking this is only going to cause frustration. I mentioned this experience at Kyle’s SETT meeting at school to our Assistive Technology Consultant and she suggested getting Kyle’s communication app to talk to Echo.
Kyle uses the Proloquo2go picture-based communication app on his iPhone. We set up a simple grid in Proloquo2go with some of Kyle’s favorite things. With this accommodation, Kyle can use his phone to ask Echo to play music, stop the music, and tell us the weather in our area and the places his dad travels to work. Kyle can also ask if the Phillies or Sixers won their games last night. We can set up reminders like what time to leave for school or work, or even not forgetting to brush his teeth! Smart home technology and intelligent personal assistants are becoming a valuable resource to help anyone gain independence. Limitations in verbal communication skills do not need to be a barrier.
During my search for the best approach for Kyle, I came across some other helpful tools. Check out these links as well as our Smart Homes Made Simple Resources.
Think Smart Box– a pre-programmed communication grid that works with Alexa
Ask My Buddy– a free service that allows users to have Alexa or Google Home contact their personal alert network of friends, family or personal care professional
When you visit Alexa Brill’s house, you enter a cheerfully colorful home that is filled with smart home technology. Alexa lives in Camp Hill, PA along with her loyal pup Chloe, and her fish. She is a graduate of Edinboro University in Erie, PA and is currently working for The ARC of Pennsylvania as Social Media and Website Manager. Like many of us these days, Alexa can’t live without her smart phone. With her phone, Alexa has access to many household items that maximizes her independence. Alexa has tried many types of smartphones and the one that works best for her is an Android Samsung smartphone. Through Bluetooth connectivity, Alexa can use her joystick to control Samsung’s assistant menu accessibility features to point with an arrow cursor and click on which feature she wishes to activate.
Alexa has been a power wheelchair user for most of her life. When she decided to move to her own home, Alexa’s family helped her find the best smart home products so that she could control everyday household items right from her wheelchair.
As you approach Alexa’s front door you’ll notice the barrier-free entranceway with a fully automatic door lock and opener manufactured by Schlage. This door lock is Bluetooth compatible and connects to Alexa’s phone. Alexa can lock, unlock and open the door giving her complete control of who enters her home. Also thanks to Bluetooth, she has control of her TV, computer, light switches by Lutron, window blinds and thermostat. The solid flooring throughout her home make is possible for her to maneuver easily.
Living independently is important to Alexa. These smart home features make it possible for her. She received funding through PA’s Home & Community Based Waiver for the accessibility adaptations to her home, and from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) for adaptations to her vehicle. Alexa and her family (who live nearby) are always researching the latest technology and devices (even if they have to make it themselves). Next on her list is to check out Amazon Echo devices to see what else is possible!
More and more Smart Home devices are becoming available every day, which means more decisions to be made and more confusion as to the what, how and why of Smart Home technology. There are many many articles about ‘How to Get Started With Smart Home Technology’ that you can read. Check out the Resources section here on this website for a list.
There’s just one thing. Although these articles are basic and simple to read, they don’t really start at the very beginning, the true beginning… the place where many of us are jumping into Smart Home Technology. For instance, they don’t tell you the first thing:
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SMART PHONE TO HAVE A SMART HOME.
Why? Because the ‘Smart’ in Smart Homes and Phones means internet.
What is a Smart Home? This article explains it simply. It is a home where Wifi is used to connect and automate devices such as lights and appliances, security and climate control. The Wifi in your house can then be used to access the devices through your SmartPhone remotely. Your SmartPhone also connects to a voice assistant such as Amazon Echo (Alexa) or Google Home etc. (remember, this is also called a Smart speaker). The voice assistant allows your devices to communicate with each other.
Here the Smart Phone connects directly to the thermostat and the TV through your house WiFi. It also connects to the voice assistant (like Alexa) and then Alexa connects to both the TV and thermostat as well!
Now that you have a Smart Phone, there are three main things to figure out in order to get started.
1. What SPEAKER (voice assistant) to buy?
2. WHAT to add to your Smart Home system: music? lights?
3. HOW to USE it once it is set up!
~ Decide which speaker you want: Amazon Echo? Google Home? Apple HomeKit? As of this date (May, 2018) the voice assistant that has the most options for devices that benefit a person with a disability is still the Amazon Echo. There are several different Echos available now. Here is an article about your options.
~Plug in your speaker (voice assistant), download the voice assistant app onto your phone, and learn how to navigate it. For the Alexa app, the ellipsis (the three horizontal parallel lines) in the top right corner accesses all of your options. Try ‘settings‘ first! Set up the basics, which are very straightforward (connecting to your WiFi, accessibility options, wake word).
~Pick ONE thing at a time to add, and then use it. Music is often first. The three main voice assistants (Echo, Google and Apple) have different options. Figure out how to ask for what you want, it is not always straightforward (for example, with Alexa in order to get a station on Pandora radio, you have to ask for Pandora first in the sentence, not the artist. Simple things like that, which are easy to forget!) Sometimes you feel like Dave in the video below….
Your default news station, daily alarms and timers, and adding reminders, appointments or shopping lists are also basic. Just ask your voice assistant and it will usually guide you through it.
~Read about SKILLS for your voice assistant. There are many many of them! They are basically quick ‘apps’ to specific things that you can enable the speaker to do for you. News stations, ambient music to sleep by, travel apps, food delivery apps. Pick one or two and enable them. Here is an article about ‘Skills’.
~PRACTICE asking for what you want for awhile. Wording is important! Become acquainted with what you can ask for and especially what you can NOT ask for on your speaker (no, Amazon Echo does not have Google search engine and does not have YouTube. Things like that!)
~Once you are comfortable talking to a machine, try to add a Smart Lightbulb, or get a Smart Switch and set it up to turn something in your home on or off. Here are some suggestions.
Here again, the articles that guide you with device set up may neglect a few important details, assuming that the reader already knows the basics. It truly is NOT quite as easy as just screwing in a lightbulb.
Here is a tip that will save you a good 45 minutes of frustration:
The Smart Home devices that you buy (light bulbs, switches, plugs, the HUB) have a specific app for that specific brand. You need to find the app on your phone and download it first before any connections can take place. In addition, you have to set up an account with them with a password.
YOU WILL HAVE TO DO THIS FOR EVERY DEVICE THAT YOU WANT TO CONNECT! Only then can you move on to connecting it with your voice assistant (ie.Alexa), or your hub.
If you’ve mastered the information in this blog post so far, you are ready to move on to the the more complex subject of home automation. When you start to add more devices to your Smart Home, you will need a way to connect the devices to each other. A hub manages the interactions between your devices so that that you can set up a series of actions to automate your home. Thinking about setting the mood after dinner to relax after a long day? You will be able to just ask your voice assistant to ‘Set the after dinner mood’ .
With a pre-programmed ‘Scene’ (or group of actions), your thermostat will turn the heat up, the lights will dim, the shades will lower, and your favorite calming ambient sounds will play softly from your speaker. Someday soon there might even be a set of robot arms that can do the dishes!
The gentle sounds of the Orcas setting on the Amazon Echo Dot alarm wakes Suria from sleep. ‘Alexa, Start my Day‘ , Suria requests. ‘Good morning!’ greets Alexa. ‘In Philadelphia you can expect a sunny day with a high of 55 degrees and a low of 47 with a chance of rain in the afternoon’. A quick run through of the morning’s top news stories and local traffic conditions completes Alexa’s pre-programmed ‘Start my Day’ routine.
After Suria sustained a spinal cord injury in 2015, she and her husband, Kirby, realized that changes needed to be made in their Philadelphia home so that Suria could continue to actively engage in everyday life. Using standard consumer technology together with Kirby’s technological expertise, they began to transform their home. Today, Suria and Kirby live in a state of the art ‘Smart Home‘ that has been adapted to meet Suria’s needs.
It’s early and the overnight caregiver has not yet started her morning shift. Suria commands the X-Box to turn on the morning news, and as she listens to the latest developments from bed, she goes over her day’s to-do list. ‘Alexa, add “meeting notes” to my to-do list’ she requests. She continues, using the Echo Show to delete the items completed the day before without having to repeat the wake-word. The new Follow-Up Mode feature allows you to string Alexa commands together without having to say ‘Alexa’ each time. Soon after, the caregiver enters to help her get ready for the day.
Suria often works from her office desk at home
As a Tax Senior Manager at Ernst and Young LLP in Philadelphia, Suria does most of her work from her home office. Her office desk area has been customized to allow her to work as efficiently as possible. A button adjusts the table height for the wheelchair. Both her laptop’s and her desktop computer’s screens are open to allow her to look at two documents at the same time so that she does not have to flip between pages. Her iPad sits on the desk to her right, always within reach for a third screen or to record conference calls with her HT Recorder, since she is not able to physically write notes.
Suria’s right hand controls a track ball, which is an adaptive mouse that allows her to
scroll using her palm and also to double click, press and drag. Her left hand controls a dowel that allows her to type on the keyboard. Phone calls can
be made from the computer as well as the office desk phone used on speaker, and a table microphone allows her to do dictation with Dragon.
Suria hears the front door open and looks up from her computer. ‘Alexa, show me the front door’ she asks, and the Nest cam shows that her caregiver is letting herself in with her own personal code that is programmed into the Smart door lock. The caregiver, in turn, checks her IPhone to see where Suria is in the house. It’s time for lunch, and they meet in the kitchen. ‘Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights!’ and the Smart light bulbs illuminate the kitchen area. Suria remembers they are out of coffee, and she asks Alexa to show the shopping list. She deletes the items no longer needed, and adds coffee. She knows that Kirby will check this list remotely on his Alexa app on his phone, and pick up the remaining items.
Suria has already ordered Thai food through Uber Eats, an Alexa skill enabled on her Echo that allows her to order prepared food. When the Smart doorbell rings, Suria can see on her IPad that it is the delivery person, and tells him to come in. She commands the Echo to open the automatic door and lunch is served!
With her ‘Smart doorway’, Suria is able to come and go as she pleases
Suria speaks to Susan Tachau, executive director of the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Project, at the March 2018 Smart Home Made Simple advisory board meeting
Suria’s Amazon Echo devices, as well as her IPad, IPhone and Xbox, connect her to her home as well as the world outside. They give her independence and privacy, keep her safe, manage her personal finances, entertain her, and allow her to perform at her job. She is an active member of the advisory board for the Smart Homes Made Simple project and participates in meetings both in person and from home.
On any given work day afternoon from home, Suria may be using her Amazon Show for setting up meetings, for participating in conference calls or dictating past work meetings, scheduling appointments and for making phone calls to others who also have a Show. With her IPad she checks emails and social media, records work meetings, schedules future transportation, does online research, and manages her finances. She can take a break from work and play a game like Words with Friends , also on the IPad.
‘Alexa, set a timer for ten minutes’.
(The chocolate chip cookies in the oven should be perfect by then, and just in time for movie night).
Kirby and Suria are deciding what to watch on TV after dinner, and Suria instructs Alexa to ‘Start Movie Night‘. The lights dim, the Nest thermostat turns the heat up, and the window shades close. Another example of an Alexa ‘routine’, this one sets the evening mood with three different actions using just one command.
New ways to streamline the Echo’s functions like this are evolving rapidly. Using an applet with an IFTTT account also strings together several devices at a time, as does using a Wink hub to create ‘shortcuts’! The Flic button can activate a series of events with just the press of a button. Flic has a pre-programmed ‘Ultimate Wake Up‘ button that makes your coffee, as well as an ‘Ultimate Go to Bed’ button that even warms up your bed! The possibilities seem endless, and yet still increase every day.
‘Alexa, Good Night’ Suria says softly. She’s finished listening to her audio book in bed with her IPad, and it’s time for sleep. With the Good Night command, Alexa turns out the lights and sets the alarm to wake up with the gentle sounds of the Orcas setting.
It’s been a long day, and a very productive one. Smart Home Technology helped with that.
An explosion of new smart home devices in the last five years increasingly promises to enable individuals with disabilities to have greater control over their own lives, and to participate in and contribute more fully to activities at home, work, school and in the community.
While mainstream use of Smart Home technology is gaining ground, the application of these devices in the disability community as Assistive Technology (AT) is lagging, with many people still dishing out thousands and tens of thousands of dollars for older, specialized AT. While some of these devices are customized and a “specialty” item, many others are “generic,” which means that they can be purchased “off-the-shelf” and used “as is.” This makes them more affordable and easier-to-use.
The goal of the Smart Homes Made Simple project is to learn about, define, and raise awareness of what this amazing and affordable tech can do for people of all abilities. The information that is gathered by the Advisory Committee and learned from the consulting partner’s installs of 20 new smart homes each year for individuals and from working with a smart technology innovator will be disseminated throughout the Commonwealth.
For this to occur effectively and systematically, and be duplicated elsewhere, answers to several questions are necessary, which we seek to answer in this project: How do people with disabilities learn about generic AT devices and how might these devices make a difference in their lives? What are the relationships between technology developers and people with disabilities? How do developers learn about the tweaks that could be made in their inventions so that more people could benefit from the new technology? And, are all of us speaking the same language, and using the same words with a common meaning so that we are able to successfully find a product that is able to do what we want it to do?
Thus, the goals for the Generic Technology Project will be to:
Learn more about generic technology, specifically smart home and smart devices;
Provide information about the devices, their uses and their availability to the disability community;
Foster collaboration between technology companies and individuals with disabilities and their advocates for new generic technology developments;
Expand opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their advocates to finance their generic technology needs;
Provide expanded information about and access to generic technology for an underserved community (individuals who have developmental disabilities who have significant support needs and are transitioning from institutions to the community in Southeastern Pennsylvania).
Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), Pennsylvania’s Alternative Financing Program under the federal Assistive Technology Act, will be the lead on this project, working with a consumer-controlled Advisory Committee. PATF will collaborate with a technology consultant, Kirby Smith, to fulfill the required activities of the Generic Technology project. PATF is a consumer-directed, statewide organization that provides education and financing opportunities for people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, helping them to acquire assistive technology devices and services that improve the quality of their lives. PATF helps Pennsylvanians of all disabilities, health conditions, ages, and incomes.
Suria’s right hand controls a track ball, which is an adaptive mouse that allows her to
