5 Best Technologies for an Accessible Home
My top 5 or the very best technologies to help make any home a little bit more accessible. This can help those who are disabled and those who are not, but importantly helps save energy for those really important tasks.
A slightly different style of blog today, but something that has consistently entered my mind since being disabled. In a world where innovation and technology has never been as fast paced as it currently is, there are constant new novel approaches to making the home more accessible. Some of the items here are solutions that I already have implemented and some of them are approaches I hope to implement in the near future.
1. Smart lighting
It may seem like something that isn’t that important, but I can’t tell you how much it helps. We have a number of smart bulbs around the house, all linked to the hive app. Not only does it mean that I don’t have to waste needless energy getting up and down to switch lights on (energy that needs to be reserved for tasks I really need to do), but we also have door sensors linked to them. This means, when we come home at night and open the front door, we have a select number of bulbs turn on. This can help disabled people in a multitude of ways. It can help to avoid any trips by always entering a well lit environment. It also means that if you are using a walker, walking sticks etc, which takes up your hands, you don’t have to stop, let go, and turn on a light and further increase your risk of falling. Now whilst it can be costly to change every single bulb in your home, you can at least make a gradual transition, with the bulbs in the area you need them most.
2. Hive heating or similar
We have the hive heating app (also the same app we use for our bulbs) and I must say, it’s great. Now there are many more solutions on the market which offer the same thing, but this one I can at least say I have experience of using and have not had a single issue in the 4 years of using it. Again it seems like something really novel, but often boilers are in really inaccessible places, high up cupboards, under the stairs, down the side of a hot water tank. With the hive app, you can set and change schedules, boost the heating, even control the temperature in each room if you have smart thermostats. This again, isn’t a massively expensive option, but can have a huge impact on quality of life. Especially since most disabled people end up feeling the cold more than most since generally there is less movement. They also claim that using the app can save you some money. Always a bonus.
3. Video enabled doorbells
Another product we have installed is a ring doorbell. Again there are lots of other options in this market but this is the one we have tried. Whilst the app isn’t always flawless, with sometimes a delay on connecting to the feed, overall it does the job. For someone who has difficulty mobilising and can be vulnerable in their own home, this can be a great addition, with being able to see who is there without having to open the door. I personally use ours a lot for deliveries, I can have 2 way feedback and ask the delivery driver to leave the parcel in a safe place. This majorly helps as it means I don’t have to get up and rush to the door, or if it’s a particularly bulky item, then it can stay there until someone else can help get it in the house. If it saves me from risk of falling, using energy on needles tasks or keeping me safe, it gets a thumbs up from me.
Ring video doorbell:
4. Smart locks
I’m yet to implement this in my own home, but I hope it will be the next technology that I do implement. The specific brand that I’ve seen doing this is the reputable brand Yale. They have a series of locks which can be opened in multiple ways. They can be opened via a tag you can put on your keys, a key card for your wallet and a phone tag you can stick to your phone. I think that this technology coupled with the video doorbell can be really powerful, you can also unlock the door via an app on the phone. So if family are coming to visit you, or even if you have carers in, it means you can clarify who they are with the doorbell, and then unlock the doors to let them in. This can be so useful to any number and ranging disabilities. Another benefit is that you don’t use a key. This can help anyone who has fine motor difficulties, as you just have to hold whichever tag next to the lock, or use the app on your phone.
5. Home CCTV
Now I think this is good advice for anyone, but with just some added emphasis for those who may be more vulnerable, including disabled folk. We have 4 cameras dotted around our house, where we are able to complete full coverage of our property. We brought ours after a negative experience of people trying to gain access to the property. This really highlighted how I was unable to be the person to go down and check and keep my family safe. We knew people had been down the side of the property through the ring app, but had no idea if they were still there. With our CCTV, we can at least stay in the safety of our bedroom, we can view every inch of the property including one pointing at the back door. The cameras also have the ability for you to speak through them, turn on the lights on the camera, and sound a siren. I honestly couldn’t go back to no CCTV, it feels like an absolute must have for me in all future homes.
These are my top 5 that I believe can help, not limited to, disabled people around their homes. Some are from experience and some are items I hope to own next and can already see the benefits from. Take a look on Amazon here and see if you think there’s anything which deserves to be on this list: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=jonnokendall-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=2cebad7451548c537a7abe733013218c&camp=1634&creative=6738&index=aps&keywords=Smart_home
Be Kind.
Love,
Jonno.
