Page 244 - Handbook of Electronic Assistive Technology

Chapter 8 • Assisted Living 233

There were significant complications during the construction phase and the specialist
technology contractor was changed several times before the properties were actually built
and commissioned, which meant that the project took many years to implement instead
of the planned 6–12 months. This had a significant bearing of the success of the develop-
ment, which informed and influenced the development of ideas relating to the effect of the
planning and contracting process on the success of such specialist projects. This has led to
a detailed critique of the failure of ‘design and build’ contracts to adequately facilitate the
installation of smart house systems (Chapman, 2008; Linskell, 2011). A formal evaluation
of the project has been published and it has been reported that the systems are still fully
operational and have been well received by the users (Chapman and McCartney, 2002).
The Cedar Foundation

The Cedar Foundation worked in collaboration with Habinteg Housing Association in the
application of smart house technology, basing their developments on KNX infrastructure
supported by environmental control equipment. They had three operational smart facili-
ties that they formally reported on.
Their first development, Hillmount Close, opened in 2003. This accommodation
consists of two blocks, each with four apartments on two levels. The four ground floor
apartments were fully accessible for wheelchair users and three of the upper flats were
designed for able-bodied individuals with brain injury or sensory impairment. The
ground floor apartments offered a full range of automation (doors, windows, blinds,
heating and lighting, security and IR control) and safety monitoring. The three upper
apartments offered safety monitoring and had preparatory cabling for full automation.
The project is documented in a report (Gilliland and Martin, 2005), which also provides
useful background to the evolution of Cedar Foundation’s strategy for the implemen-
tation of smart technology. An evaluation of the development from a user perspective
was published (Martin et al., 2005) and the full report offered recommendations for the
further development of this technological approach, which were adopted by Cedar. Two
further projects followed in 2007.
Hillmount Court consists of five bungalows that were built to replace a group living
facility and were intended for transitional living; as well as Ardkeen, which consisted of
10 apartments. Both developments offered a full range of automation and safety features
and were intended for a mixed population of wheelchair users and individuals with brain
injury and sensory impairment. The outcome of both developments is documented in a
report, which again focused on tenant and carer satisfaction and provided some help-
ful insights into the value of smart technologies for these client groups in facilitating and
developing supported living (Martin and Beamish, 2008).
The Cedar Foundation documented their ongoing commitment to building on these
successful experiences with smart technology (The Cedar Foundation, 2008) and have been
satisfied with the recommendations of their partners to install hardwired infrastructures in
new builds. They have also acknowledged that the role of the technology could be extended,
especially in support of altered and less obtrusive caring of vulnerable individuals.