Award-winning wireless alert device for seniors to be installed in more rental flats

Straits Times

29-05-2025

The button lets seniors – particularly those living alone or without family support – reach emergency services with a single press. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Award-winning wireless alert device for seniors to be installed in more rental flats
SINGAPORE - A local firm has clinched a contract potentially worth more than $50 million to extend its emergency buzzer system for seniors to 170 additional rental blocks over the next five years after a successful pilot since 2019.
The wall-mounted, wireless red button lets seniors – particularly those living alone or without family support – reach emergency services with a single press.
The expanded roll-out is part of a second contract awarded to local tech firm Buddy of Parents (BOP) in early 2025 by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to procure wireless alert devices for more seniors in Housing Board rental flats over the next five years.
Specialising in wireless devices and seniorcare tech, BOP is owned by Singapore-based iWow Technology, which made a name for itself developing the TraceTogether contact-tracing tokens used here during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On May 29, BOP received a $1 million grant under DBS Foundation's Impact Beyond Award for its efforts to support seniors and caregivers through smart technology.
The award will support the development of new products and the firm's outreach to vulnerable seniors and international growth, said BOP executive director Chen Jer Yaw.
Mr Chen said: 'As part of the grant, there are milestones that we will have to hit, such as the number of people that will be benefited by our products and services... We are committed to fulfilling these milestones and to support more seniors.'
The company will focus on the distribution of emergency buzzers for HDB, which is expanding its initiative to provide wireless alert devices to seniors.
A total of some 36,800 seniors aged 60 and above are expected to have the devices installed free of charge by 2030, according to a spokesperson for HDB.
As at February, at least 10,000 seniors living in 50 public rental blocks have had the wireless devices installed, HDB's spokesperson added. Seniors with older models will soon receive a new device, which has improved durability and performance.
Each BOP button is connected to a 24-hour hotline, giving vulnerable seniors, especially those who live alone or lack family support, a way to seek help in life-and-death situations.
(From left) IOT Solutions EVP Chen Jer Yaw, CEO and executive director Raymond Bo and chief marketing officer Ashokan Ramakrishnan with iWow's new wireless alarm system for seniors.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
The alert systems have been triggered around 20,200 times, ince the system's roll-out to rental flats in November 2019, according to HDB. Roughly 1,600 required emergency help, while the rest were non-urgent calls or accidental presses, it said.
The button is an upgrade of an older pull-cord system, which seniors can use to activate an alarm at their block's void deck to alert people in the vicinity or to an active ageing centre during working hours.
The new devices come with better batteries that exceed five years, and two-way voice calling for users to speak to operators over the phone.
They are also resistant to water and dust – a requirement under GovTech's tender – so the devices can be placed reliably in bathrooms, where the risk of falls is higher.
Announced by iWow in February, the contract with GovTech includes the option to purchase its fall detector module and portable alert device over the next 10 years.
BOP's catalogue of devices includes a wall-mounted infrared scanner with image-recognition software to tell when someone has fallen and is in need of assistance.
The DBS Foundation awarded three other businesses, which are tackling urgent needs among ageing residents, from nearly 100 submissions worldwide.
One of them is Hong Kong's Evercare Health – a health tech platform which developed a mobile app for patients and caregivers to schedule appointments, contact staff members and make payment. The award will support the firm's development of AI-powered medical notes to improve the efficiency of healthcare services.
DBS also awarded India's Life Circle Health Services, which operates a mobile app that connects families with trained caregivers based on their needs.
DBS Bank has disbursed $21.5 million in grant funding for more than 160 social enterprises and recipients since 2015.
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