ABB’s products are installed at the Transitional Living Unit (TLU) facility, which provides a controlled, simulated home environment where in-patients who have ABI can spend time as part of their rehabilitation. The facility is a two bedroom accommodation allowing both patients and carers to sleep in the facility. Patients can remain either for a couple of hours or for a few days, depending on the type of injury and level of assessment required.

Adapted in 1999 from a council house, the TLU is used to test assistive technologies and assess their role in helping adults with a range of disabilities to live more independently when they are returned to their local community.

The original facility did not include any automated or motorised controls, which meant it only benefited a limited number of patients.

To increase the capabilities of the house, it was decided that automated controls were required. Smart controls would reduce the level of physical exertion required by the patient, by automating basic household functions. It would also enable the centre to utilise the house for a wider range of patients with more varied conditions.

Working with CBIR and EATS, ABB installed a wide range of intelligent control equipment to help ensure that the facility could be adapted to different patients’ requirements. Controls were installed on all the lights and main sockets as well as taps, radiators and windows.

The facility’s doors were also fitted with controls to enable automatic opening and closing. Sensors detect the patient approaching and send a signal to the central control system. An actuator then activates the door, providing enough time for it to open gradually. The door remains ajar until the patient has passed completely through, and then slowly closes.

The smart controls in the house can be customised to suit the patient’s rehabilitation programme and can be set centrally or remotely, or locally adjusted by the patient or carer.

In all, over fifty separate devices were fitted, with over 25 modules installed into the central control system. To provide additional expansion options, multi-way sockets were installed so that sensors and additional monitors could be added when required. The multi-way sockets can be programmed to operate as either inputs or outputs, to either accept monitors and sensors, or be used to trigger an alarm or reminder, for example.

Remote ‘clickers’ were also integrated into the system, which can be used to control devices around the house using a remote control, similar to a TV remote. Commonly referred to as environmental controllers, these specialist ‘clickers’ are especially useful for patients who are severely disabled.

Additional interactivity is provided using a wi-fi LAN, so that carers and patients can use a tablet PC or laptop to communicate with the TLU through intuitively designed web pages.

As the EIB/KNX system ABB uses requires significantly less wiring, this simplified the process of customising the TLU. “The main reason for our use of EIB was that we wanted to manage very complex interactions and communications – huge amounts of information – in a very compact environment” says Jeremy Linskell, Clinical Engineer for the CBIR. “As well as this, the flexibility and adaptability of the system lets us change its configuration as required, integrating all of the house functions through a single system.”

Another key benefit of the controls is increased safety. Voice memo controls were set up which can be used to provide audible prompts and warnings. They can alert the patient to dangerous scenarios, such as water over-flowing from a bath or sink, or warn of fire and gas risks in the kitchen. Remote monitoring also means that clinical staff can remotely supervise use of the facility by patients.

Linskell worked closely with Gareth Rowlands, ABB’s Product Sales Manager for EIB, and systems integrator, Ohms & Watts, to ensure that the system was sufficiently flexible to satisfy the facility’s present and future requirements.

Linskell feels that the potential benefits of using smart controls will greatly enhance patients’ quality of life and increase their independence. “I feel that the controls will help some patients to live safely in their surroundings, whereas otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to.”

Linskell was keen to stress that the technology is not being used to replace carers, but instead to enhance the existing quality of service that carers provide. “We’re using the technology to provide a better quality of life, for patients and carers, not to make cost-savings”.

The facility is also being used to explore how smart controls can provide remote rehabilitation to patients when they return to their own home. This would enable hospitals to provide additional care options, as carers would be able to monitor and interact with patients remotely. This is especially relevant to the Tayside region, large parts of which are rural and thinly populated.

While the costs of installing such a system into a patient’s home still need to be addressed, Linskell feels that the facility will go a long way in proving the technology’s benefits and justifying the spend.

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