In an increasingly connected and technological world, the opportunities to improve the lives of people in vulnerable situations are multiplying. With this objective and the support of the "la Caixa" Foundation, with the Call for Social Projects Catalonia 2022 of the Social Call for Catalonia 2022 of the "la Caixa" Foundation, Suara Cooperativa has launched the project Res com a casa (Nothing like at home) that puts technology at the service of the welfare of elderly or disabled people living alone.
Precisely, this initiative aims to respond to a problem that, surely, will be growing, since the population is aging. According to a recent study by the Catalan Institute of Statistics (Idescat), some 780,000 people live alone in Catalonia, 65% of whom are over 65 years old.
Therefore, through technological devices such as smartwatches, sound or motion sensors, as well as voice assistants, designed by Yasty Robotics, people are connected to a world of opportunities and individualized support. This has brought about a real revolution in the accompaniment of elderly or disabled people, especially in cases that require daily assistance and supervision.
At the moment, about twenty homes in Mollet del Vallès and Barcelona already have this system of sensors and voice assistants, which makes the home a safer place and reduces unwanted loneliness.
On the one hand, this is achieved with friendly virtual assistants that interact with people naturally. They also make their lives easier, as they can answer questions, remind them to take medication, offer emotional support and even provide useful information about health and well-being. Moreover, sensors and cameras alert caregivers when there are emergency situations in the home or any behavioral changes in the person living there.
"It's like having a virtual friend at home. The voice assistance reminds me of my medications and even tells me stories when I'm alone," says Lluïsa García, one of the beneficiaries of the Res com a casa.
Beyond this, this technology also adapts to the needs of each individual, who can configure it according to their preferences or routines, providing a highly individualized level of support.
Res com a casa project not only brings an improvement for the home dweller, but also eases the burden on caregivers and healthcare professionals. In this sense, it enables them to monitor more efficiently, as well as to offer a faster response to the needs of the people they accompany.
Thus, this initiative is an example of how innovation improves people's lives while transforming the way in which support and care is provided to the community. This is precisely one of the main objectives of Suara Cooperativa: to pave the way for more effective and personalized care through virtual assistance technology.
