ILI – AMI platform
The Need
Cork County Council, in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland’s Small Business Innovation Research programme, launched a challenge to improve the resilience of Cork County’s older population by exploring low cost and accessible solutions that could assist older citizens in maintaining a good quality of life in their own homes.
The Solution
This HIHI project is an innovative collaboration between social enterprise and community groups, led by Independent Living Ireland (ILI) and developed in partnership with Amicitia Social Enterprise, Cork City Partnership’s Friendly Call Cork and Nimbus Research Centre in Cork Institute of Technology. With the support of the Cork Age Friendly Programme, the Age Friendly Town of Mitchelstown was selected to co-design and test this project. The system was co-designed with the members Mitchelstown Age Friendly Committee and a prototype of the AMI platform was tested in the town. Sensors and panic buttons were installed in the homes of volunteers. The sensors measured movement, temperature, heat and humidity and were connected wirelessly to a base station in the Mitchelstown Community Council Centre in Forrest Hall, in the town centre. These sensors, installed in homes of volunteers, can be used to detect drops in temperature, emergency alarms or changes in routine which may signify health problems prompting a friendly call to be made.
Enterprise Ireland made a nice video that explains the project very well. The video can be viewed on this link.