Licensed or registered assisted living housing, comfort apartments, 2nd homes or a site with a mix of living quarters? Quite a number of sites are currently equipped with an emergency call system or offer buyers the option to implement such a system in the future.

The increasing offer of assisted living housing has only reinforced the demand. As a project developer or managing institute, you will soon find out that there are dozens of systems and that it is rather difficult, or sometimes even impossible to compare them correctly. For instance, there are a number of nurse call systems available, developed specifically for nursing facilities or hospitals, which have no added value for the residential market. The apartment that should give you a warm home feeling, is then suddenly stained with an apparent white or grey appliance with a red/green button and speaker.

It is therefore important to answer the following questions in a timely manner (during concept phase / plan phase):

1. Would I like to implement a system covering the complete building (parking and garden included) or only the apartment itself?
2. Does the system have to be present from day 1 in all apartments, or is it adequate that buyers (e.g. for comfort apartments) can start using the emergency call system the moment they really need it?
3. What if a power failure occurs on site. Should emergency calls still be forwarded for a certain time, or not?
4. Which connection do I prefer to envision (care centre, home nursing, healthcare provider, digital concierge, …) and is this connection included in the quote of the supplier or do I, as building manager, have to take care of this myself?
5. Is it sufficient to have a speak-listen connection for the emergency calls, or do I also require a message service (push-notifications) on the smart phone of the nursing central operator, family member,…
6. Would I mind – as indicated previously – staining the living space by a stigmatizing nurse call system or do I knowingly select an integrated solution?
7. Should my emergency call system also communicate with the living environment of the senior citizen? In short: is it important that upon an emergency call the cooker is extinguished, all lighting is switched on, the television and any other sound source is switched off, to enable an optimal speak-listen connection, …?
8. Do I select a cabled fixed emergency call button in the bathroom or do I prefer to have the flexibility to install a wireless button in a spot which is easy to reach for the senior citizen, whichever disability he or she might have?
9. Finally… would I like to be able to monitor the system remotely to give me peace of mind as a developer, building manger, famility member or senior citizen, …?

As you will observe, selection is a difficult process. IPBuilding supplied already dozens of sites with an integrated non-stigmatizing emergency call system as well as sites in which apartment buyers wish to implement the emergency call system in a later phase. You are welcome to request our assistance to explore the best solution for your site together.

You can contact us via sales@ipbuilding.com or directly on the number: +32 (0)9 279 89 69.

Project developer Immobel carried out the project O’Sea  in Ostend, the queen of Belgian seaside towns, at a marvelous location, i.e. at 30m of the embankment and beach, near to a nice shopping and hospitality area of Mariakerke and the bustling center of Ostend. O’Sea consists of three living units: family houses, apartments and assisted living homes. This poject is comprised of 167 living quarters in total including the eye-catching residential tower of 56 apartments.

For the exploitation of the 50 assisted living homes Immobel selected Solidariteit voor het Gezin which also  already manages a nursing home in the neighborhood. ‘Solidariteit voor het Gezin’ will guarantee an optimal concept with its healthcare provider, to respond to the unique needs and requirements of each inhabitant.

“Solidariteit voor het Gezin will be able to use óne integrated solution – as in several other projects – including video surveillance, ICE call emergency call system and access control. This incorporates user-friendliness and safety flawlessly for the healthcare provider ánd its future inhabitants.”

The healthcare provider and inhabitants will also be able to use the care technology of IPBuilding  Indeed, Immobel decided to install the assisted living homes with the non-stigmatising ICE Call emergency call system of IPBuilding. The system can make a speak & listen call from whichever space in the building to the nursing central operator. In this instance IPBuilding ensures this with a link to the Z-Plus nursing central. On top of the emergency call system, inhabitants can also manage the video surveillance via the 10 inch touch screen. Moreover IPBuilding and integrator Nextel also supply an integrated access control system.

More info on this project via: https://www.o-sea.be/fr/

Do you also develop assisted living homes or life-long housing apartments? Feel free to contact us via sales@ipbuilding.com or 09/279 89 69.

ZorgAndersTV made two reports on Smart Assistance homes. This time, the reporters of ZorgAndersTV visited the De Linden Assisted living flats in Kapellen (Antwerp). The people behind this initiative, psychologist Yo Buyens and architect Pieter Goffin, built 17 flats there, with a surface area ranging from 67 m² to 111 m².

“The building is very bright and we really wanted to create the feeling that this is a normal flat, and not an assisted living flat,” says Pieter Goffin. “The flat needs to adapt to its occupant’s care needs. That is why we also started looking for a suitable solution to make the assisted living flats ready for the future.” The promoters eventually opted for IPBuilding and turned their apartment building into a real Smart building. All controls such as for lighting, heating, screens, and others are operated via a touchscreen. Also, residents can make emergency calls via the same system, together with movable push buttons and a push button/necklace that residents can take with them. Home nurse Jan Van Gils, who provides care in De Linden, experiences the added value of IPBuilding’s Smart Care solutions. “When a resident of De Linden places a call, I immediately get a message on my phone about who is contacting me and where that person is located inside the flat. I can also communicate with the resident, via a high-quality two-way communication system. At the same time, the TV switches itself off, so I can better understand the person. To ensure the residents’ safety, the hob is also automatically switched off, the temperature of the floor heating is raised and all of the lights in the apartment are switched on.”

Controlled remotely

In addition to the benefits for residents and nurses, the Smart Care system also offers numerous benefits for the building manager. Peter Goffin and Yo Buyens can monitor the entire building remotely. This includes building access and access to the individual apartments and common area, camera surveillance, temperature monitoring, and more. Salveto has also selected IPBuilding’s Smart Care solutions for the other new projects in the pipeline (incl. in Kalmthout and Mariaburg).