Living with comfort & lifestyle
Today, we can design our lives in a way that allows us to live in our homes for as long as possible. With the help of barrier-free concepts, controlling the environment or with alarm functions that support us when we need help.
Assisted Living is lifestyle and comfort: This refers to concepts that make it possible to design living space in such a way that people can manage their everyday lives largely without outside help. This is important for older people and people with disabilities – for example, after accidents – so that they can live independently and safely in their own homes for as long as possible. Self-determination and independence are essential for our quality of life. This is an understandable desire.
In the meantime, however, it is also necessary to think about this: Due to the shortage of skilled workers in nursing and medicine, the care of the future will take place at home.
Old? Me? No way!
Many people want to be able to live in their homes for as long as possible. At the same time, society’s approach to aging is a tabooed. Who wants to be old today? Aging is a taboo subject – and no one likes to admit to need help. Even a watch with an emergency button on the wrist is often a difficult decision. In these moments we are confronted with our aging. Even a watch with an emergency button on the wrist is sometimes a difficult decision for people affected.
Often, the feeling of control and the collection of data is also a little bit scary. But this is necessary for the products to be able to do the work they are supposed to do: Through data processing, the systems sense what people need. As a result, they learn to get better and sound the alarm when the daily routine varies from the norm.
Assisted Living is the future
We are devoting ourselves to this very rarely discussed topic – because we are convinced this is a discussion we need to have.
The number of senior citizens in the population clearly increases: By 2034, the ‘baby boomer’ generation will be retired. Let me give you an example from my country Austria: Today, in 2021, approximately 1.7 million people are over 65, and by 2034 this number will rise to 2.4 million.
Due to medical progress, life expectancy is rising steadily and so is the number of people who need care. In parallel, we are already within a massive nursing shortage, and the increasing burden on the remaining nursing staff is steadily increasing.
In its care report for Germany, Bertelsmann Foundation analyzed that the number of people in need of care will increase by 50 percent by 2030, while at the same time the number of skilled care workers will fall.
Countries such as Denmark and Sweden have already reacted to the shortage of skilled workers and have been implementing smart helpers and assistance technologies (“welfare technology”) in the healthcare system as well as in the private sphere for years. The reasons: To enable people to live in their own homes for as long as possible and to support family members and staff left in care.
What do we want? We want to focus on solutions, on lifestyle and comfort. Support potentials and people instead of persisting in stigmatization.
The technologies have changed massively over the years: They have become cheaper and less complex to implement.
We will not only discuss solutions, we also will show you how to make your home fit for the future. And where can I find these companies?
If you have any questions, feedback or requests regarding our coverage, please feel free to contact me at anja@sbc.co.at.
Sincerely,
Anja Herberth
Editor
Image source contribution image/head: Shutterstock
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