New 'Smart' Homes For Dementia Sufferers.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 14, 2009) -- Within five years innovative 'smart' sensing systems that will help the UK's 700,000 dementia sufferers live independently at home could be available commercially. Once installed, the systems are designed to closely monitor people's movements and actions around the home. As well as providing voice-prompts (e.g. reminders to turn off a tap or cooker), they can also directly switch lights or appliances on and off in order to eliminate potential dangers. Comment. Just as many of the institutional providers of care are finding specious reasons to fight changes to the health care system (as their ox is gored) we can expect the nursing home industry to fight these innovations if introduced by home builders.