Sheltered Housing Apartment

The challenge

Daniel’s mother, Mrs Booth, is 86 years old. She resides in a private sheltered housing unit in East Dunbartonshire and was often to be found sitting in her studio apartment with her coat on; afraid to turn up her heating because she worried about running up a costly heating bill.

Mrs Booth has medication to take and is visited three times a day by carers. While her age and medical conditions make her vulnerable, she enjoys living independently.

Daniel, however, sought after a solution that would permit him to monitor his mother’s wellbeing from afar whilst allowing her to maintain the independence she enjoys.

His main concerns related to the heating of her open plan living/kitchen area, small hallway, bedroom and toilet, and the monitoring of her front door opening to allow entry of her carers.

The solution

The house was originally heated with traditional convection heaters and it was either too warm or too cold. The team removed the old heaters and installed Far Infrared (FIR) heaters in her living room and bedroom, as well as a heated IR mirror in her bathroom. The heating can now be controlled remotely or set up as a schedule.

We also installed sensors to monitor temperature. This allows Daniel to remotely check how warm or cold the apartment is at any given time of day, and he can manipulate it – boost it on/off or increase/decrease – from his phone or laptop.

Additionally, the installation of a wireless leak detector in the bathroom that is connected to the Prioto system means that should a tap ever be left running, Daniel would be alerted straight away.

Finally, door contacts were installed to allow Daniel to monitor who was coming and going at his mother’s apartment, and also to check that she hadn’t wandered outside after dark.

The result

Whilst energy savings are being made from the Prioto installation, it’s the occupant comfort that is the most significant benefit for Daniel and his mother – gone are the days of sitting indoors with a coat on!

The convenience of being able to remotely control the infrared heaters in the apartment using the app on his mobile phone is a significant benefit. Even when his phone screen is locked, the alerts are visible until he dismisses them so it is unlikely notifications will be missed.

The sensor on Mrs Booth’s front door offers great peace of mind to Daniel, and he can quite accurately pinpoint when the carers have visited.

The Prioto solutions have allowed Daniel to monitor his mother from afar while facilitating her to live independently, comfortably, and above all, safely.