This article is an update report on the QoLT (Quality of Life Technology) center current project which will bring the newest technological innovations to reality by helping our elderly citizens live independently in their own homes for a much longer period. With the tremendous growth of our elder population, there is a need to address the elder care crisis of more and more of us living longer and straining our healthcare system and economy. There has never been a more important need to find new ways to alleviate the economic burden of long term health care than in our current times. We are already beginning to see this impact on our country as we are in the greatest recession since the Great Depression and yet almost proportionately occurring is the growth of population of the elderly, who demand the most health care of all.
Graphic from QoLT
As the government struggles to fix the economy through policies and laws, there needs to be a drive to address this crises on every and any method that can be humanly thought of. This is truly a time when more concentration and resources need to come together to think of all the aspects that humans can imagine and bring to fruition.
In the previous article, "Will our elderly be the first to live like the Jetson’s?", the great work being done by Takeo Kanade and Jim “Oz” Osborn at QoLT, is bringing new ideas that technology can enable our senior citizens to live as long as possible in their own homes, by providing all types of assistance to them without extra care giver resources performing daily tasks, which will keep them out of nursing homes and elder care centers that are funded by the government.
QoLT is driving their mission of “creating intelligent systems to give greater independence to older adults and people with disabilities”, into reality as they are currently building in the McKeesport Independent Zone, the start of 15 - 20 “Smart Cottages” on the 10 acre site in the McKeesport area.
McKeesport, Pennsylvania is one of the steel-mill towns of the Monongahela Valley that went from a thriving city of about 50,000 in population in the late 1940’s and 50’s to around a population of around 24,000 currently. When the steel industry left the Pittsburgh area in the 1980’s, McKeesport, like all the other similar towns in the area, dwindled to areas of depression. The people who remained in these towns were the people who had lived there all of their lives and now are elderly. This area is a perfect setting for the QoLT project!
QoLT has partnered with Blueroof Technologies ( a local non-profit ) which has built the prototype “smart cottage” to be safe, smart, energy efficient and affordable. It uses wired and wireless technology, sensors and cameras and the communications to control it. Currently a YWCA, Salvation Army and two active churches are also in the community and will remain there. There will eventually be a co-op grocery store. There are some current homes on the site that will be repaired and made into “smart cottages” as well.
Here is a video from Blueroof Technologies demonstrating some of the “smart cottage” features.
Video from Youtube.com
Also read the Pittsburgh Elder Care Examiner homepage for more information and resources for elder care.
Comments
Great article and video. Jetsons here we come at least on the ground.
:)
I could use some of these smart cottage features in my home. Great info!
Interesting angle on the elder care crisis. Well done.
Thanks for reading and your comments!
Nice article Dave. As we know, both being former techonogists, part of the challenge to introducing technology solutions is to make them as transparent and intuitive as possible. This is true especially where the elderly are involved as they are oftened hard pressed to learn new things and fear change. It will be interesting to see if the people who need this technology will be inclined to embrace it.
Interesting that if we could have homes for our elderly and they could be in touch with family or a facility or control center so that if something were needed the it was available. The problem is keeping the cost down. Great article Dave.
Thanks for the comment Paul. If you go to the CMU site about QoLT, they seem to indeed looking at all aspects of this project and what it can bring to elder care support and dignity. I can see this as a pilot that will be constantly tweaked and will bring great new ideas into elderly housing. This project is sort of it's own utopian community that may or may not come to be the model, but I think they just wanted to bring reality to this issue, quickly to prove the need and raise visibility, which I think they do very well. When CMU does something, it gets serious visibility, so I hope to keep track of where this all leads to. Thanks again.
Thanks for reading and commenting CJMathis. The project's goal is to make this something for those who do not have the income or resources that some do for private nursing homes, so I hope they keep that on target.
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