Experts from housing, healthcare and home design in the north are collaborating to build innovative new homes in the region for people with assisted living needs.
NHS Highland, Albyn Housing Society and Invergordon-based house builders Carbon Dynamic are working together to create a new batch of adaptable homes, using technology that will enable remote monitoring of residents by social care and health agencies.
A site at Dalmore, by Alness, has been earmarked for 16 homes next March as part of a wider 200-home development, and over the next five years a further 32 homes will be built in various parts of Inverness.
The “ambient” technology is able to collect data on residents’ walking patterns, number of falls, heart rate and breathing patterns, which is then sent to a social care or health service hub or a relative.
The technology involves a wi-fi box being fitted in the home to remotely measure such patterns through a patient’s wristband.
Yesterday at UHI’s Enterprise and Research centre, the partnership held a drop-in session for health professionals and prospective tenants to try on a headset which gave them a virtual look at what it would be like living inside one of these homes.
Participants then gave their feedback which will be incorporated into the home design before they are built by Carbon Dynamic.
Yesterday during the event professor Angus Watson, NHS Highland’s director of research, development and innovation, said: “There is a shortage of well designed homes for wheelchair users, people with medical issues and disabled people, not just in the Highlands and Islands but throughout Europe.
“What we are trying to do with this process is, even before creating the first home, is to give people a real sense of what the building may look like and get feedback on the home design.”
Existing Albyn Housing tenant, June Carr, of Foyers, suffers from back pain and decided to look at the new homes in case she has needs in the future. She said: “The whole concept is amazing. You can totally see how it feels to walk around and it just brings it to life.”
