Facing challenging times, it’s a great pleasure to announce the new partnership between the Organization for International Economic Relations (OiER) and e-nnovation integrating future-oriented digital solutions in the field of AAL (Active and Assisted Living), health, caregiving, and work-life balance in smart and sustainable cities. Highlighting state of the art solutions like Emma – the flexible living assistant (voice assistant).
Within the whole transformation process of smart sustainable cities, the elderly and silver generation must not be left out.
Voice Assistant Technology
Cities have to focus on the impact of eHealth especially digital technologies to support elderly people (including relatives who are caregivers).
“Voice-based AI devices aren’t just jukeboxes with attitude. They could become the primary way we interact with our machines.” Georg Anders (MIT Technology Review)
Emma provides two interconnected solutions to create an ideal and easy operable system for its partners (cities, healthcare departments, citizens, etc.). Firstly, EmmaHome (eHealth voice assistant) is an interactive base station connectable to various smart home components & vital parameters and is controllable and manageable with the Emma App. Secondly, EmmaHelp is a community platform, providing an online shop for regionally tailored services & products connected to EmmaHome.
For the young generation, life is unthinkable without e-mail, chat, web surfing, social media, smartphones, video games, Skype, and texting. Anyhow, the majority of the oldest may be unfamiliar with these tools. Many find the devices too complex. The aim must to simplify tech (for aged 60+) and provide modified interfaces. Voice assistant interfaces (like the Alexa or Google Assistant) can raise the bar on in-home social experiences.
The great benefit: voice assistant technologies generate cost savings in caring for people by giving them the extra support they need to continue living in their own homes for a longer period of time instead of having to go into residential care.
With the leading developing companies of deep knowledge of machine learning, the possibilities for rolling out a host of new voice-activated services are extensive, and healthcare must be among them.
State of the Art EmmaHome
EmmaHome is a multilingual speech assistant. Features such as a direct connection to a certified alarm service center and a 24/7 occupied concierge service, drink-, medication-, and appointment reminders and the sending and receiving of messages are activated through speech or by button.
EmmaHome provides reliable standards for a diversity of smart home components, adjustable depending on individual needs.
Users can additionally connect vital parameters (e.g. smart scale, smart blood pressure monitor, and other smart health products) to EmmaHome in order to facilitate self-health monitoring in everyday life. Connected smart home components enable the emergency services to provide faster and tailored assistance in the event of an emergency by e.g. using an automatic door opener or detecting fires with intelligent smoke detectors.
EmmaHome is a highly flexible system with a multitude of functions, individually combinable, and creates a customized system for a variety of use cases – monitored and manageable through our dashboards.
Interactive Community EmmaHelp
EmmaHelp is an interactive community platform functioning as a one-stop-shop mainly for caring relatives. The platform offers targeted information in the field of care, the interaction between community members, an online shop for care products, EmmaHome compliant products as well as offers from regional service providers.
EmmaHelp creates an individual care profile of each EmmaHome user through a chatbot. The profile contains tailor-made information on care-relevant topics, and useful service providers in the region (e.g. gardeners, pedicure & hairdresser). Relatives are able to exchange information and communicate on topics regarding care directly on the platform. EmmaHelp enables efficient organization and coordination of daily duties.
Better Health for less Cash
Existing voice assistant technologies performing in the healthcare sector perfectly integrate into the care budget.
One of the most important KPIs when implementing voice assistant technology is the cost to consumers ratio. As tech becomes more usable and useful, consumers will look for ways to acquire it. This may occur through payers, but usually, for older age groups, it is more likely that adult children and family realize/pay that in-home service. It is forecasted that the implementation of this technology will be viewed equally as essential as the cell phone plans, GPS services, cable TV, and many other monthly fees that are used by older adults and their relatives.
The World Alzheimer Report concludes that it is necessary to invest in both research and cost-effective ways to care for people in the future in order to cope with the expected increase in the number of people with dementia as well as senility and to manage the costs of home-care services. Governments need to be sufficiently prepared for the future and should start to look for new possibilities to improve the lives of people and to support the health care system in a cost-efficient way.
If we have an eye on the situation in Germany it illustrates the extent of the possible gains. The nationwide cost of inpatient treatment of elderly people amounts to EUR 73 billion and makes up 30 to 40 percent of a typical health insurer’s total budget. On average, however, between 8 and 10 percent of all claims received are not necessary to take into hospitals respectively could care at home via the mentioned technology.
It is estimated that German health insurers could save in about EUR 500 million each year this way and it would also be a great deal of reducing time effort.
For more information please contact:
Mrs.
Julia Aldrian
julia.aldrian@e-nnovation.at
