We had a gentleman reach out who is a senior and is aging in place with his wife. He is also completely paralyzed from the neck down and spends most of his time in his bed or a power chair that he controls with his mouth. He was referred to us by an individual who toured the SHOW and told him of our services. We conducted a smart home assessment for him on July 2. He wants to utilize automation and voice-control of his home. His words upon our arrival were, “I want you to bring me into the 21st century.” Our recommendations will allow him to voice-control his lighting, televisions, door lock, shades, thermostats, make and receive calls hands-free, see and speak with who is at his door, control his ceiling fan, turn off his main water valve if there’s a basement leak, and have his kindle books read to him. He also wanted to have the ability to play video games, specifically, Grand Theft Auto so he could the experience the feeling of freely driving. We recommended a software that will give him the ability to voice-control his games on his PC. Other technology recommendations include, Amazon Echo Show, Philips Hue Lights, NEST Smart Smoke Detector, WeMo Smart Plugs, GE Smart Fan Control, Bali Smart Shades, Samsung Smartthings Hub, August Smart Lock, Ring Doorbell, Ecobee Smart Thermostat, and Logitech Harmony Hub. Many of these will give him the ability to control his home with both Alexa and Siri. We expect him to reach out to us after he makes his technology purchase to assist him with installation and training. This is certainly the most exciting and interesting smart home assessment that we have ever conducted.
We worked with an individual who was recently diagnosed with ALS, a terminal, progressive illness that destroys nerve cells, and can ultimately result in a loss of the ability to walk, speak, eat, breathe, etc. Luckily, he knows our program well and reached out right away to proactively address the needs he knows he will face. At present, the main difficulty he faces is an inability to use his hands effectively. He therefore needed voice-activated, hands-free phone calling, intercom system to communicate with his wife throughout the house, television control, heating and cooling control, calendar access, remote doorbell and lock access, and a fall alert system. He is tech-savvy and already owned an iPhone and Amazon Echo, which allowed us to dive right in and teach him about accessibility features on devices he already has. He also realized that a thermostat he had recently purchased was actually “smart” and we were able to guide him through the configuration of setting it up for voice-control. We made several additional recommendations and remain in close contact with him to stay ahead of his needs and get him the support he needs to live his life to the fullest.