Siobhan King-Hughes, CEO, and Cian Hughes, co-founder, Sensormind
Dublin-based technology company Sensormind has launched its new online assisted living system today at the Irish Technology Leadership Group conference, ‘Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland’.
Sensormind Independent Living is designed to help caregivers look after the elderly and vulnerable who are living alone.
Sensormind uses intelligent software and wireless sensors to monitor an individual’s behaviour and movement patterns. If there is a big change in the normal pattern, for example, the elderly person leaves their bedroom at 4am and does not return, Sensormind sends the caregiver a text message to raise the alert.
Caregivers can check in via an internet-based program 24 hours a day to make sure everything is OK. The elderly person is also given a panic button so he or she can call for help if need be.
With improving life expectancies and the rapid rate of population ageing in Europe and North America, there is growing demand for these technologies, with a market forecast of $335m for ‘social alarms’ by 2012 in Europe alone.
“We have already successfully deployed the system with 20 volunteers who participated in a free, three-month trial during the summer,” said Siobhan King-Hughes, CEO of Sensormind. “The feedback about the product is fantastic – people love the fact they can look after their elderly parents or relatives even when they are physically remote from them.”
King-Hughes founded Sensormind in 2008 with husband and COO Cian Hughes.
Sensormind was one of a select group of companies invited to showcase their new product at the ‘Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland’ event in Dublin.
