The relative benefits of Voltaware’s elderly monitoring
Worried about an elderly or disabled relative? Voltaware’s home-intelligence solution uses energy-data analysis to monitor their activity, giving you peace of mind 24/7
The United Kingdom is getting older. According to a study published by the Office for National Statistics, 18.2% of people living in the UK in 2017 were aged 65 or over – up from 15.9% in 2007. And the number of elderly people in the country is set to increase further in the coming decade – by 2027, it is predicted that over-65s will make up 20.7% of the overall population.
While many people continue to live healthy, active lives well into their retirement, others are much more vulnerable, especially if they live alone – and that can be a major concern for their nearest and dearest. Of course, in an ideal world we would all be there to manage our relatives’ needs 24/7, but with other commitments that is not always possible. So how can we gain peace of mind – both for ourselves and for them?
While many people continue to live healthy, active lives well into their retirement, others are much more vulnerable, especially if they live alone – and that can be a major concern for their nearest and dearest. Of course, in an ideal world we would all be there to manage our relatives’ needs 24/7, but with other commitments that is not always possible. So how can we gain peace of mind – both for ourselves and for them?
Once Voltaware’s credit-card-sized sensor is hooked up to a home’s electricity box via patented magnetic connectors, it uses a state-of-the-art machine learning algorithm to identify appliances, then begins to sample high-resolution energy data from each one. This data is sent via Wi-Fi to Voltaware’s secure cloud, where it is analysed before the results are delivered to a smartphone app.
With Voltaware installed in your elderly or disabled relative’s home, but paired to your own smart device, you can remotely monitor their daily behaviours. The app will provide an easily digestible breakdown of their electricity usage down to appliance level, enabling you to identify if they have being using their cooker, switching on their electric fire or watching the television. And with no camera or listening devices required, this non-intrusive process will not impact on their privacy.
If you are too busy to check the app at regular intervals, that is not a problem as Voltaware will automatically learn your relative’s behaviours and notify you if something seems wrong. For example, if they have not used the kettle for the past 24 hours, or watched TV all evening, it will immediately send an alert to your smartphone, so that you can check up on them.
Of course, with this level of insight at your fingertips, you can also help your relative to manage their electricity use more efficiently, saving money on their utility bills. The Voltaware app will provide a detailed readout of how much energy each appliance is consuming, and how much money it is costing, enabling you – and your relative – to make more informed energy-preserving choices.
Having an elderly or disabled relative who lives alone can be a genuine worry, but with Voltaware providing accurate, non-intrusive monitoring around the clock, you can keep an eye on their safety and wellbeing, even when you are unable to be there in person.
