Project SHINESeniors (a project driven by a research team at SMU's iCity Lab, co-founded by SMU and Tata Consultancy Services), was featured in an article. As part of the three-year project, the team has equipped 50 one-bedroom apartments with motion sensors that can detect unusual periods of inactivity – a possible indication that the tenant has either fallen or suffered a health crisis. This information is then fed to a Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) for its staff and volunteers to react to the potential emergency. Although other projects in Singapore are testing similar technologies, what makes Project SHINESeniors unique is its focus on how the technological tools can enhance the efforts of community caregivers who provide the crucial, person-to-person contact with elderly tenants. "What we are providing that's of value is tying the technology to care provisioning," said Associate Professor Tan Hwee Pink, Academic Director of iCity Lab. "We see it as a more complete, holistic, and end-to-end evidence-based approach to ageing. The technology enables community organisations to improve their operations and increase their effectiveness with the limited number of staff and volunteers they have, while still catering to the elderly person's individual needs,” he added.
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