Latest news with #independentLiving
CBS News
21-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
First-of-its-kind "smart living home" opens in Washington County
A first-of-its-kind smart living home has opened its doors in Washington County, offering assistive technology to help people with disabilities live independently. The home in Canonsburg opened in May, offering tours and hands-on experiences to families and individuals to see what they could install in their own homes. "So, what we try to do is invite people here so that we can sit with them, understand their goals, and what's more, you know what's most important to them, and help them to find the technology that works for them," Craig Douglass said, the chief administrative officer of Arc Human Services. Arc Human Services is a nonprofit that is dedicated to improving and supporting people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and mental illness. "We think this will really help them. It will help them become more independent. It will help them to be able to stay in their home longer and will help keep them safe in their home and the community," Edward Picchiarini said, the CEO of Arc Human Services. The smart home appears to be any other home, but it contains numerous smart technologies to help individuals live independently. "One of the things we have in the house is a panic button. We call it our 'stranger danger' button," Douglass said. The button can be installed in each room of a home for assistance, like if someone unexpected shows up at the front door. "We tell them that they can hit this red button," Douglass said. Once the button is activated, Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant technology will begin talking and giving instructions. "They'll get a verbal prompt that says, 'Don't open the door,'" Douglass said. The front door will also automatically lock. "Then we'll get a call from a caregiver that will help provide support to that individual," Douglass said. Other options include sensors to detect when a person gets in and out of bed to either turn the lights on or off. Douglass said that in the smart home, a pathway of lights from the bedroom to the bathroom is set up to show what options are available based on an individual's needs. "This is designed to help somebody who maybe gets up in the middle of the night and they have to go to the bathroom. This is a way for us to couple, again, visual prompts to help them navigate to the toilet safely," Douglass said. Each room in the home also has a sensor to ensure safety and support. "It has an AI feature built in that learns what people are doing and is expected," Douglass said. "So, if, like, somebody was, you know, hadn't been up for two hours, and we usually see them up at eight o'clock in the morning, a caregiver will get an alert to let them know something's up." The wide range of technology can also assist in the kitchen. "One of the things we have is a smart microwave. For example, a person with autism may struggle with buttons. So instead of putting a meal in for three minutes, they might accidentally hit an extra zero, and that can be a fire hazard," Douglass said. "So this is tied with an Amazon device, and you can announce to Alexa to turn the microwave on, and it'll set the timer for you automatically." Douglass said you can also ask Alexa to assist in making macaroni and cheese. "Get your pot out of the cabinet beside the stove. The light on the cabinet should be changing colors," Alexa could be heard saying. "Fill the pot with six cups of water. The measuring cup is in the cabinet to the right of the stove. The light where it is located should be changing color." "Alexa will walk them through this routine of making macaroni and cheese," Douglass said. Picchiarini said the technology can be personalized for individual needs to support independence. "Right now, people may have staff with them 24 hours a day, and if they're able to even have a few hours on their own or short periods of time, we think that would be really great for them to be able to experience some independence like that," Picchiarini said. To set up a tour in the smart living home or for more information about ARC human services, click here.
CTV News
20-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Breaking ground on Cochrane seniors' facility expansion
Northern Ontario Watch A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Cochrane for the new 28-unit expansion at a seniors independent living facility.
CBC
10-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Whitehorse non-profit pushing ahead with $43M seniors' housing complex in Whistle Bend
Social Sharing The Yukon government has given a funding boost to a Whitehorse non-profit that's planning to build a new seniors' housing complex in the Whistle Bend neighbourhood. The Vimy Heritage Housing Society received $1 million from the territory's Housing Initiative Fund. "The idea is to get us going," said Ranjit Sarin, the president of the society. The organization is planning to build a four-storey complex with 75 units, on Casca Boulevard in Whistle Bend. The majority of the 75 apartments in the building — called Rowan Place — will be one-bedroom units, some with dens, and there will also be eight two-bedroom units. Sarin said the idea is to provide housing options for low- to middle-income seniors who still want to live independently. Tenants will be able to do everything for themselves "except shovel snow," Sarin said. "We're trying to make sure that people who are retiring stay in the community, and they have a better life and they don't go into the personal care homes before they have to," he said. Sarin said about three-quarters of the units are already spoken for. That means those tenants have put down a deposit. The $43-million project has already been years in the making. The Vimy Heritage Housing Society was formed in 2013. The design work on the building is still underway. Sarin said he wants to keep things moving as quickly as possible before costs go up. "The longer we wait, it's going to go up, especially with the things happening down south — we don't know where they're going to finish up with the costs of the things. So the quicker we get going, the better it is," Sarin said. The society has already raised about $16 to $17 million, he said, and is also applying for other grants and financial supports, with the rest coming from a mortgage with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). He said they're in the "final stages of submitting our application" to CMHC. Sarin said people who have put deposits down are eager to see the building go up, so they can move in. "We did our homework, we did market surveys, we did advertising ... and as a result, we have a fairly loyal clientele who is ready," he said.
ABC News
03-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Families love the Longreach way of life, except for a lack of disability services
Adam Ballard is somewhat of a local celebrity in his small outback Queensland town. The Longreach local goes everywhere with a smile, helps the local footy and race clubs, and is a rodeo fanatic. Adam was born with Williams Syndrome, an intellectual disability that requires consistent care. His family has lived in the area for generations and, over his 34 years, Adam has enjoyed the upside of living with a disability in a rural town. "He's so safe. He's got a good life here," Ms Ballard said. But now his 67-year-old parents are planning for when they are no longer around to care for their son. "It's the same for any parent of a child with special needs, that's their greatest concern," Ms Ballard said. Reluctantly, the Ballards have decided their only option is to leave Longreach and set Adam up in Rockhampton, 700 kilometres away. "We've all been born here [in Longreach]. We've lived our lives here. But you do what you have to do," Ms Ballard said. The problem for people in the bush, like the Ballards, is that they have limited choice and control over a permanent independent living situation for their child. Rentals in Longreach are already scarce and there are few registered NDIS providers that have housing. Determined to tackle the issue, Ms Ballard formed the Outback Independent Living (OIL) group in 2019. It has become the peak body and support service for disability in Winton, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackall, Boulia, Birdsville and smaller towns in between. The vast area spans thousands of kilometres, and of the 10,500 people who live there, 955 have a disability and 196 have an NDIS plan. OIL's vision was to build an "outback village" with disability housing and assisted living. Despite strong support initially from parents and stakeholders, the idea has not come to fruition primarily because of a "catch 22" whereby few NDIS participants have designated home and living supports on their plan, Ms Ballard said. "And then people wanting it don't bother getting it put in their [NDIS] plan because there's no accommodation here." Kathy Ellem, a disability and social work researcher at the University of Queensland, said the government needed to rethink how the NDIS operated in rural areas. "You can't just plant what works in a metropolitan area and hope that it works in a rural area too," Dr Ellem said. "Governments need to provide block funding. The Queensland government said it contributed $2.5 billion annually to the federally run NDIS and would continue to work with Canberra to design supports as recommended by NDIS reviews. Federal NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister said the government was engaging communities to trial new ways of delivering services and addressing gaps. "We want all NDIS participants to access the reasonable and necessary supports they need, no matter where they live," she said. Brisbane-based Katie Grehan, who has been lobbying for people with disabilities in the bush since joining OIL in 2022, said having the right supports in an NDIS plan was crucial. She said "purpose-built villages" were outdated. "Have them living in community, in a home that they either own themselves or they rent, so they have control of the asset and their NDIS plan funds the supports." Beyond housing, another hurdle in the remote region is a startling lack of recreational activities or group programs that support disability participation. "In Brisbane, you can go to a community centre or service providers. You might want to do dance classes, swimming lessons, a cooking class, an art class. You can attend those services on a daily basis," Ms Grehan said. That is the reality in Longreach, which is a hub for smaller towns that get by with less. Longreach resident Daisy Walton, 38, who is legally blind and has autism, is eager for more options to enrich her life. "Like having Vision Australia and Guide Dogs [Australia] if they ever decided to set up a little office here. Even Autism Queensland, as well," Ms Walton said. "It would be nice if it happened, but I don't think it will. [There's] just not enough population." Her mother, Michelle Rose, said the disparity between the bush and more populated areas was distressing. "We've had a lot of families move away, which is a real shame," she said.
