Geoff Jones is a retired teacher who believes no one ever stops learning.
So, the 86-year-old great-grandfather leapt at the chance to be part of the Smart Home Trial that explores the feasibility of low-cost off-the-shelf smart devices for supporting the practical and emotional needs of independent older Australians who want to live at home.
The research is a collaborative study between Uniting AgeWell, the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Hub for Digital Enhanced Living and Deakin University’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute.
The 31-week study investigated the effect of the voice-activated device, the Digital Living Assistant (DLA), in the homes of Uniting AgeWell clients and staff.
And the results-- that the system is relatively easy to use, fun and useful -- come as no surprise to Geoff, who already figured that out early on in the trial.
Geoff, who has Parkinson’s disease and lives alone , put the device on the mantlepiece in his loungeroom and started incorporating it into his everyday life.
This was mirrored by Uniting AgeWell caregiver, Helen Gale, who had one in her living room, and as part of the trial, collaborated with Geoff in using it.
And it works very well, according to both Geoff and Helen.
Geoff, who is a late riser and sometimes struggles to get out of bed, gave instructions for the DLA to play music with a catchy beat in the mornings. Using his walker, he’d then march in time to the music, first to the bathroom and then to the kitchen to make a cuppa.
The same thing happened – in reverse – at night. Geoff is a night owl and loves watching television and reading into the early hours of the morning. So, he instructed the DLA to call out nightly “it’s midnight, time to go to bed, Geoff.”
Geoff explains, “As the routine set in, the DLA got more interactive and chattier, till eventually it was saying to me ‘Geoff, sleep tight!”
Geoff, who is widowed, says being able to call out the magic words “Hey Google” followed by an instruction, is a wonderful tool, especially with his mobility issues.
He often tells it to play music, keep him up to date with the latest news and even asked it to tell him a few jokes.
“My only bug bear is that funny is not the same globally, so jokes that are hilarious in the US are not that amusing in other countries where the humour is different,” Geoff says.
Geoff, who gets help with domestic and gardening duties on his home care package with Uniting AgeWell, says the gadget is a wonderful tool for people who live alone and who are marginalized.
And, Helen says, having it around “grows on you.”
“It’s a kind of companionship, and the more you use it, the more interactive it becomes,” Helen explains. “When I got home from work at night I would call out ‘Hey Google, I’m home’ and it would say ‘Welcome home, Helen.”
“It’s like having a cat that you don’t have to feed.”
A very smart cat that provides entertainment including radio, trivia and reading; that searches information on nutrition, recipes, weather and so on and that has an alarm, a calendar, reminders and a timer. So sorry, Pusskins, you don’t cut the mustard!
The study found the top five uses for the DLA were to ask for the news, weather, music, specific information and social interaction.
The research found it was easy to use, fun, and in time participants got used to having it as part of their daily lifestyles. Getting staff involved was a great idea, as they could chat about it, and friends and family also played a role in helping explore all its uses.
Next up, Uniting AgeWell will look at how to further tailor smart home setups for individual customers, and how to link the non-profit aged care provider’s service information to the device. Another area to explore is how to link the device to other smart devices – like Uniting AgeWell’s video calling tablets, fall detectors or other smart sensors.
At the end of the trial, both Geoff and Helen were offered the choice of either keeping the gadget or getting a shopping voucher.
Both kept it.
You don’t give friends away.
Find out more about Uniting AgeWell's commitment to research and innovation.
