AI and assisted living technology - Henley and Reading Council win £1m grant

Dr Rodrigo Perez-Vega will investigate the impact of new sensor technology in partnership with Reading Borough Council, which could help keep vulnerable residents safe at home for longer.

Henley Business School and Reading Borough Council have successfully bid for £1.08million from the Adult Social Care Technology Fund from the Department of Health and Social Care.

Over two years, the grant will enable the council to expand its Independent Living Care Technology Solutions, building on the success of the pilot program which took place over the last nine months, with Dr Rodrigo Perez Vega and Henley working as research partner.

With people increasingly wanting to live independently for as long as possible in their own homes, new technology could help enhance residents’ wellbeing and help keep them safe at home for longer.

Independent Living Technology Enabled Care (TEC) helps residents live safely in their own homes with the use of sensors installed in resident’s homes which collect information on daily routines, such as sleep patterns, bathroom visits, and meal preparation. Once standard patterns are established after a two week period, the system can then generate notifications if any deviations from these patterns occur. Examples includes increased bathroom visits during the night or a decrease in signs of meal preparation. Family members can also access a friends and family app.

Henley researchers will help evaluate the impact of this sensor technology coupled with intelligent, advanced cutting-edge analytics - particularly for individuals who have been discharged from hospital or are living with long-term health conditions. Staff will be able to use the data to provide appropriate support to residents and enabling them to continue living at home.

Dr Rodrigo Perez-Vega, Associate Professor of Marketing, said:

We are very excited to be involved in this project to deploy assistive living technology in people’s homes across Reading in partnership with Reading Borough Council. What makes this project unique is that it will integrate different types of assistive living technologies such as sensors and other mobile applications in order to provide a safer environment for vulnerable people. Henley Business School will assess the impact that this intervention is having not only on the end users, but also on their social circles and to determine how the use of these technologies reshape the roles of those involved in social care within the community.