Smart Home Technology for People with Disability Webinar

Show video

good afternoon everyone thank you for joining   we'll just wait another minute just  to give everyone a chance to join all right might make a start Ash so good afternoon  everyone um thank you all for joining us for   today's webinar on smart home technology for  people with disability I know that most of you   are probably in your lunch breaks um right now so  it is very much appreciated that you uh came and   joined my name is Liam Highmore and I'm the CEO  and co-founder of Homeable today I'm lucky enough   to be joined by another co-founder Ashleigh Dodson  welcome Ashleigh thanks Liam hey everyone any   OTS or support coordinators on the call this  afternoon that have worked with us in the past   um would certainly be familiar with Ashleigh  and all the wonderful work that she does for   those who don't know who or what homeable is we  are a victorian-based smart home provider that   specializes in creating Smart Home Solutions  for older people and those with disability   now we've got a really exciting agenda for you  this afternoon in a few moments I'll kick off this   conversation by giving you a bit of context around  the smart home landscape and where the opportunity   lies for people with disability we'll cover some  common Solutions and specific use cases as well   as the key benefits of smart home technology Ash  is going to introduce some of our clients and some   of the solutions created around their unique goals  as well as what are some of the considerations   that you should be aware of when thinking  about a smart home solution for your clients   and finally we'll briefly touch on how  ndis funding can be used and what the   future of smart home technology has  in store for you and your clients   I should point out that we are currently planning  a series of these webinars so please do let   us know in the survey at the end if there is a  specific technology disability or application of   smart home technology that you would actually like  is to do a bit of a deep dive on in the future   cool so just before we get started I just want  to let everyone know that today's session is   being recorded and we will send out a link to  all of those who registered so if you did have   colleagues or friends that couldn't make it  today not a problem we'll send out a link so   you can pass that one onto them I do encourage  you to pop any questions or comments you have in   the chat uh we'll certainly do our best to answer  these as we go or at the end of the presentation   beautiful so let's make a start many of us are  probably familiar with Smart Home Technology but   what we might not be aware of is the profound  impact that it can have on people's lives if we   look just in 2018 60% of people with disability  reported requiring assistance with daily tasks   that's six out of 10 people and almost 3  million in Australia alone now smart home   technology has the potential to really help with  these daily tasks by enabling them to have more   control over their home environment now one of the  results of this is that their carers and support   workers and their families can spend less time  adjusting the lights, blinds, and thermostat and   instead be able to really repurpose their  time in a way that makes sense to them   now all this is great in theory we all know that  um Smart Home Technology isn't always rainbows and   sunshine but particularly for anyone who has  tried to set it up before knows exactly that   it doesn't always work like it should I would like  to actually put up a quick poll just to understand   how confident you are in actually recommending  smart home technology for your clients some of you may have quite a good grasp Others may  find the smart home landscape pretty difficult to   navigate some of you may not even know where  to start and look that's that's totally fine and look if we take a look at the results we can  see that most of you do find it pretty difficult   and and it is difficult right like the concept of  a smart home has promised a lot of things over the   last decade however it hasn't really materialized  for a myriad of reasons for starters there's been   a lack of standardization, fragmented technologies,  slow adoption rates and perhaps most importantly a   one-size-fits-all approach which is particularly  problematic for people with disability now   experts have predicted that the average Australian  household will have 33 connected devices by 2026.   that's 33 devices in every home I'm not sure  how many devices you have in your home but even   I don't have 33. so what is clear is that this  technology is becoming more and more prevalent   so the question that we have is why are the  people that benefit the most from this technology   often the ones that get left behind now while you're thinking about that let's  break down what actually makes a home smart   when we say smart home I'm sure some of you picture a robotic arm making you dinner perhaps   a television that rolls down from the ceiling and  while these things are quickly becoming a reality   when we talk about smart home we're talking about  a house with interconnected devices that can be   controlled remotely or autonomously now these  devices are often integrated integrated into   various aspects of daily life such as lighting,  security, heating, entertainment and even household   chores there are thousands of different devices  currently on the market and I mean thousands   ranging from Smart lights to security cameras  to irrigation systems to pet feeders the some   of the stuff that people are coming out with  these days is ridiculous but the important   thing is here to call out is that the devices  themselves are only one part of the solution   these devices need to be designed around  a need and around someone's environment   and I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone on  the call here that the success of any assistive   technology requires an integrated approach  from the design of the physical solution to   the inclusion of care provisions after it  has been delivered the plethora of Smart   Home Products is not good for anyone unless it  is actually coupled with education, support and   careful consideration of the current and future  needs of who it's actually being designed for   we recently completed a smart home pilot with  Guide Dogs New South Wales and act where we   actually installed Smart Home Solutions  with the blind and low vision community   now one of the key findings of this was that the  adoption of this technology and overall impact was   significantly higher when delivered with education  and ongoing support as part of a holistic solution   now you often see these Graphics like the one on  the screen here with a bunch of smart home devices   all interconnected around a phone or some kind  of Hub to be honest I think it's actually quite   a dangerous way of looking at your home we prefer  to put the intended user at the middle of these   devices because we know that it's absolutely  critical to design with people with disability   to maximize the impact and benefits that this  technology can actually provide now Ash I'll let   you talk about those exact benefits perfect thank  you Liam and welcome everyone I'm recognizing   a few names that we um came across at the Expo  recently at ATSA so thank you all for coming along   so when discussing the benefits of smart home  technology for people with disability it's   important first to focus on the direct impact  this technology can have on the individual   so of course the first thing that comes to mind  is accessibility Smart Home Technology enhances   accessibility in the home features such as voice  activated lights or button controlled blinds can   make these tasks possible for the individual when  they weren't previously with that comes increased   Independence so smart home technology can allow  people with disability to manage their homes and   perform tasks independently rather than relying  on the assistance of others Safety and Security   is also an important benefit that we often see so  think about motion sensored lights that activate   when someone transfers into their wheelchair  instead of having to transfer in the dark or   what about being able to see who is at the front  door through a phone before even opening the door   for people hard of hearing there are lighting  options so that when a smoke alarm is activated   the the LED lights flash red alerting the  individual so smart home technology can also   increase in individual's confidence having the  autonomy to make choices not only about their   environment but being able to participate in  household tasks and activities is empowering   all these things combine to impact an individual's  quality of life so it's been found that experiencing   a greater sense of Independence can lead to  positive psychological effects additionally   having control over one's home environment can  lead to a greater sense of Safety and Security   these things can further enhance  well-being and quality of life   so we can also look at the indirect impacts of  Smart Home Technology such as reduced reliance   on formal and informal carers In-Home Support is  changing and with the availability and advances   in cost and function of smart home technology and  home automation home automation has the potential   to reduce paid carer hours and also reduce the  amount of care family members need to provide   the impact of paid care um in relation to home  automation was actually presented in two case   studies so a single case study of a woman  with spinal cord injury and the other was a   multi-method study for individuals with functional  limitations both studies measured the paid carer   support pre and post home automation and both  actually found that there was a reduction in   the need for paid care assistance after the  install in addition to this three qualitative   studies described how home automation supported  individuals to complete tasks independently such   as turning on the light or opening and closing  the blind or making a call through their smart   speaker as a result of being able to complete  these tasks independently Individuals described   how they felt less of a burden and how it meant that  carers and family members could spend time doing   other tasks such as spending quality family time  together with that individual so there's also the   aspect of keeping people in the home and we've  probably all heard of Aging in place so smart   home technology could potentially prolong the need  for residential aged care by keeping people safe   in their homes for longer as we know most older  adults feel comfortable staying in their own homes   where they're familiar with their environment  and connected to their existing community we also   believe that smart home technology will enable  people with disability to live comfortably in   their homes and could potentially negate the need  for an individual to enter into an SDA or SIL in   some cases so those were just some of the benefits  next I want you to meet some of our clients so Salma here was actually one of the pilot  participants in the guide dogs pilot program so   Salma is a lovely woman in her 50s who is legally  blind she lives alone in a small apartment with a   guide dog so Salma is quite independent having  been legally blind since she was 15 years old   her main goal was to feel safe and secure  within our home not only physical safety such   as navigating in low conditions but also feeling  confident and secure enough to answer the front door   so this is why we installed a video doorbell  with facial recognition at Salma's front door   this device captures an image of the  person at the door and uses facial   recognition technology to audibly announce the  visitors identity through Salma's Google hub   before the video doorbell was installed Salma  actually kept her gate locked 24/7 and would only   unlock it when she was expecting visitors  it now allows her to know who is standing   at the door before she opens and opens it  providing her with that sense of reassurance   an indoor floodlight with the motion sensor  was also installed in Salma's hallway so this   light automatically turns on when Salma enters  the hallway ensuring that she can navigate her   home safely and effortlessly this light reduces  the risk of her tripping and bumping into her   bedroom door frame um which were actually  both common occurrences before the install   motion sensor lights were also installed  along Salma's footpath leading to our front   door before the solar lights were installed  Salma would rely on a friend to walk her to   her front door at night time the lights along  the footpath now allow her to feel confident   and safe enough to walk independently  to her front door so we also have Jacob so Jacob is a 32 year old man who is quadriplegic  with the use of his upper limbs he lives with his   girlfriend in their apartment so for Jacob when  speaking to him we found out that Independence was   really important to him and he always strives to  find ways to perform tasks without relying on the   help of others so for Jacob it was important for  him to have a greatest sense of control over his   environment which is why we automated his existing  blinds in his living room and bedroom he controls   them via the app on his phone with voice and with  schedules so previously Jacob had to actually   leave his blinds down 24/7 because he couldn't  reach the cord leaving him with no natural light   um by automating his blinds he now has the ability  to control them whenever and however he likes   in Jacob's bathroom we in sport installed  smart down lights which were installed to   a motion sensor as Jacob enters the bathroom  the lights automatically turn on which means   he doesn't have to use the light switch which  was previously difficult for him to reach in addition to this to regulate the  temperature in his home an infrared   receiver was installed so that he could  effortlessly operate his air conditioning   unit using the smart home app or his voice  when the remote control is out of his reach and we have Felix so Felix is a 15 year old  boy with autism spectrum disorder ADHD and   dyslexia who lives at home with his mum and  siblings and although he's very tech savvy   um Felix relies on frequent prompts to navigate  through daily activities and struggles with things   like time management, organizational skills and  responding to external cues he requires frequent   prompts from his mum for activities such as  waking up to his alarm closing cupboard doors in   the kitchen and answering the front door when he's  alone which is why it's important to for him that   we created a solution that helped him with routine  and consisted of multiple triggers and external   cues in Felix's bedroom we installed smart lights  connected to his Google Hub so these lights   automatically turn on on when his alarm goes off  ensuring that Felix wakes up on time so to prevent   habituation we actually set his alarm up so that  it's a different sound every day of the week   to promote Independence in the kitchen we fitted  sensors to his cupboard doors so when a door   remains open for an extended period of time an  audible notification is sent to Felix's Google   Hub telling him to close the door a blue LED light  around the kitchen roof also illuminates um this   so these prompts provide both Visual and auditory  cues reminding Felix to close the cupboard door   a video doorbell was also installed to give Felix  the ability to verify visitors via his phone   before deciding whether or not to answer the door  this provides him with autonomy and alleviates his   anxiety when encountering unfamiliar visitors  his mother also gains peace of mind as she can   monitor the doors activity remotely so as you  can see um three very different individuals   here when most people think of smart home  technology and what can be done for people   with disability they often think about people  with physical disabilities and whilst it's true   that smart home technology can greatly benefit  these individuals it's important to remember   that smart home technology can help a range of  people with different needs if it's set up and   adapted to their unique goals and requirements  like with we saw with these three individuals so when recommending smart home technology for  your clients there's a few things to consider   the first one is the type of install are low-cost  assistive technology devices going to be suitable   for your client or do they need a complete home  modification often you can modify existing parts   of the home by adding low-cost at for instance  installing motorized controller to existing blinds   to automate them for individuals with more complex  needs a home modification may be required this is   what would be recommended if the individual  used any eye gaze technology for for instance   so the environment is also an important factor and  designing for the whole house you really have to   take into consideration everyone who lives there  take Phil for example who has cerebral palsy he   loves apps and all things Tech so he would pre  prefer to use his smart home app on his phone to   control his devices his wife may not so you  need to ensure that whilst you're designing   a solution for Phil the house still has to  be functional to the rest of the household   whether or not someone is renting or owning will  influence things as well this will obviously   change what you're allowed to install and  the process of seeking permission as well probably one of the most important things  to consider is the individual's interaction   preferences for users to be in control of  their homes it's necessary to provide a way   of interacting with the devices that  is accessible and functional to them   there are multiple ways to control and  interact with Smart Home Technology such   as apps, switches or buttons, voice, sensors and  setting up automations through those schedules   devices can also have multiple control methods  for example someone may benefit from having the   ability to control their devices with their  voice they may also benefit from a switch   on their wheelchair for when they feel short of  breath and they're unable to voice those commands another really important consideration is choosing  Which smart home protocol to use in their home   so I know when I first heard protocol  I had no idea what that meant at all   so a smart home protocol is essentially the  language that devices use to communicate with   each other so the most common is Wi-Fi which you  would be familiar with in your Google homes your   Alexa's but it's important to know that there are  other solutions that aren't as dependent on Wi-Fi   for example zigbee So zigbee based smart  home protocols use low frequency low radio   frequency which actually allows them to penetrate  through walls much easier so this may be ideal   for someone who has poor Wi-Fi or multiple  devices in their solution picking the right   device and protocol is essential to ensure that  the devices actually work seamlessly together so next you have to think about how these devices  are going to be powered and what is going to be   best for your client the choice between powered  and battery operated smart home devices depends   on multiple factors such as individual specific  requirements, availability of power outlets and   ease of battery replacement or recharging so  Mains powered devices so actually being plugged   into a power point um offer a uninterrupted  functionality but as I said often require   an electrician to install an a generally higher in  price battery operated devices provide flexibility   and a low-cost alternative but require  periodic battery Replacements or recharging   so switches or buttons are a good example  of devices where battery is a good choice   because of their load functionality the  batteries can last for longer periods of   time and they're quite flexible and mobile they  can be taken anywhere rechargeable batteries can   reduce the need for frequent replacement and  they're actually found in the devices such as   the video doorbells the smart cameras so they  only need to be charged every few months or so so app account and password management is critical  with Smart Home Technology having numerous devices   connected may result in incompatibility issues  and lead to a solution that just doesn't work to   get the most out of a smart home it's advisable to  choose devices that belong to the same ecosystem   so if you have devices from different brands  and multiple different ecosystems you end up   with multiple apps so this obviously can lead to  confusion and just not a good client experience   either it's not functional so keep in mind that  each of these apps also require accounts to be   made with that passwords to go along with it  so that's also something that you really need   to be mindful of whose responsibility is it to  know all the account information and passwords   required to sign in and what happens if the  password is forgotten another question you   have to ask yourself is whether subscriptions are  appropriate for your client will their ndis plan   cover a subscription for next year devices that  use any memory often require subscriptions for   example so the facial recognition feature of the  Google Nest doorbell stores individual faces so   people have to actually pay for this storage which  is in the form of a yearly subscription to Google   through the App Store so yeah subscriptions  is definitely something to keep in mind so how can participants use their ndis funding  to purchase smart home technology so for all   you plan managers OTS and support coordinators  you will probably know this but for those of you   who don't smart home devices can either come out  of a participant's core consumables budget under   low-cost at if their solution is under fifteen  hundred dollars or if they have available   funding it can come out of their capital so we can  actually work with the participants OT to provide   them with the necessary information needed to help  support them when they're writing their report   as part of our process we develop a design  brief so in this design brief we actually   match a participant's goals to their solution  which can assist that OT report writing process   so on top of this we can also provide  a pricing guideline for an install so   that it can be taken into consideration to  get the funding into the client's Next plan   in 2021 ndis spending on AT remained a minor  component at below five percent and with this   smart home Technologies are a marginal subcategory  with the advances smart home technology has made   and the impact that it can actually have  on people's lives we hope this changes soon   Liam I'll hand it back over to you now  being the smart home nerd that I am it would   be remiss of me not to talk about the future of  Smart Home Technology now one of the key barriers   to widespread adoption of this technology has  been the interoperability issues associated with   this Tech that Ash spoke about before up until  now if you have for example an Apple iPhone you   are often forced into purchasing an apple homepod  speaker for your smart home to work now the good   news for everyone is that this is all starting to  change many of you have heard about a new smart   home standard called Matter which essentially will  allow your Google products to work with your Apple   products which will work with your Alexa products  it's probably a topic for another webinar but this   standard will make it much easier for consumers  to unlock the potential of smart home technology   now Smart Homes today in 2023 I don't think  are smart they're connected absolutely they're   connected but I don't think they are smart and I  think it's important to differentiate these two   because having a connected home means that your  phone can connect to your thermostat which can   control the temperature in your living room smart  home means that your home can detect that you are   feeling unwell and then raise the temperature  automatically to keep you warm and healthy   Smart Homes will be able to boil the kettle in  anticipation of you wanting a coffee they will   automatically lower the benches when they detect  that someone uses a wheelchair enters the room   this transition from a connected home to a Smart  Home has already begun and is really being driven   from the data that these devices in our homes and  in our pockets actually collect now we believe   that this data can provide incredibly valuable  insights about your clients which is why we're   actually developing a new feature called Smart  View which essentially leverages the smart home   devices already installed in the homes to provide  proactive care now this feature is being developed   in collaboration with occupational therapists  and carers and is actually designed to detail   key trends in client Behavior through their device  usage to assist with things like assessments it   can inform you of any abnormal patterns such  as a fridge not opening for 24 hours or the   kettle not being boiled for a couple of days we  are at the very early stages of this as is the   industry and we are looking for any interested  occupational therapists or anyone interested   in having early access to this technology to  essentially help us identify these new use cases   so if you are interested in helping us co-design  this feature then please tick yes in the survey   which will be sent to you as soon as this webinar  finishes or using the QR code on the next slide look that's about all we have time for today I  will open the floor up to any questions you have   about anything we covered today or even anything  about Smart Home Technology more generally so if   you want to just pop any in the chat over on the  left maybe you have a question about a client or   a specific technology um while you're thinking I  do have one for you Ash and it's more related to   where can the OTS and everyone else on the  call today go if they're looking for more   information on smart home technology for example  yeah that's um a good question and I know for a   fact that there is so much um so much information  out there it's hard to really know where to start   um so firstly as you said we we  are hoping that this is one of many   um webinars so I guess if you want um to  learn more about it let us know in that   survey and we can really tailor these webinars  around the information that you're looking for   um we're also actually offering in-services for  organizations in Melbourne so if you have a   few clients that you think May benefit and you  really want to learn more we'll actually come to   you um and yeah we can bring all the tech along  we can talk about more of our clients and how it   could help your clients as well um yeah sorry  there we go no that's right I was Emma I hope   that answered your question um she just asked  whether we provide consultancy to OTS at yeah yep   so that can be in through the in Services um but  also we're happy to be contacted at any time so   if you go onto our website you can just click the  contact us otherwise our email is team@homeable.com.au  and I'll be monitoring that and yeah always  happy to jump on a call and have a chat um another question from Jackie are you Victoria   based or do you also Branch out to  Regional and central New South Wales yep so being quite new we are just  focusing on Victoria right now it is   in the goal within the next six months that we  will actually have expanded into New South Wales   um especially because that pilot program with  guide dogs was based in New South Wales as well thanks Ash um a question from Michelle hi  Michelle I'm curious to know why you said   eye gaze users should pursue home modifications  versus low-cost at I can take that one um if you   want Ash so typically when we're integrating for  example eye gaze and again I should preface this   by saying we haven't integrated eye gaze  technology with any existing home systems   yet but I think the point here is when we've  sort of go into a home with existing complex   um technology sometimes it does require home  modifications to essentially integrate it with   sort of what whatever is there versus perhaps  a low-cost at which can simply be retrofitted   to an existing solution but I think the  important thing to call out is that it is   obviously Case by case and during that sort  of consult consultation process we quickly   identify whether a home mod or a low-cost at  is is appropriate for that specific use case I hope that answers your question which  I otherwise reach out if it doesn't   um Ash maybe one more for you given that  you are usually the one on the ground   um with clients I'm sort of interested as to  how do most clients actually want to interact   with their home and maybe you can give an  example yeah so as you said and as we've   said throughout this whole thing it really does  come down to the individual so not one type of   interaction preference comes to mind um a lot  of clients do like to have that voice control   um but as I said previously it's important  to really think about go into um go into it   thinking about the client and then working from  there so we never go into a consultation knowing   straight away what the individual will want um  or what's going to be best for them either um   so yeah we go with an open mind and often we find  that they do want multiple methods of interacting   um so yeah voice is obviously a big one um through  the Googles and the alexas a lot of clients   actually do have um like the smart home speakers  already set up so that's where we can come in and   automate their blinds and integrate it with their  Google hubs um which they're already familiar with   and then as do you find that specific say  disabilities tend to have specific preferences   about how they interact it for example the guide  dogs program that you did with the Blind and low   vision community what was their sort of preferred  preferred preference yeah so um the participants   really loved voice as I said so um you'd  think about so they for an example they would   um they need to find their number for their doctor  so they go on to their phone they type it in they   then the voice over on their iPhone takes them  through all the information on that page before   it actually gets the phone number whereas they  can use their Google Hub to Simply ask what the   phone number is and it will relay it back to them  straight away so yeah that's one thanks Ash look I   don't know if we have any more questions um really  appreciate your tuning in this afternoon we know   how busy you are this time of year and certainly  don't take your time for granted as we said   earlier if there is a specific topic you would  like us to explore or a question that maybe you   weren't able to ask today please do let us know  through the survey appreciate you all for joining   I hope you learned something and can't wait to  speak to you all again soon thanks thanks everyone

2023-06-27

Show video