One of the sad parts of the coronavirus crisis is that older Australians are most at risk and have been well and truly isolated. But there is a product called Sofihub that allows us to provide care and attention without breaking the isolation rules.
Developed by Australian company Unisono, the Sofihub device looks like a smart speaker that also offer a range of sensors and movement detectors to monitor and understand the habits of the people in the home.
It also comes with six motion sensors that can be placed around the home in various rooms.
Sofihub can also remember those habits and movements and if any of that behaviour changes the device can actually ask if they’re OK.
For example, the Sofihub might ask “I noticed you’ve been in the bedroom longer than usual – press the top button if you’re OK”.
If there is no response, the device can contact a family member or carer.
In these difficult times when our most vulnerable older Australians are being isolated for their own safety.
A product like the Sofihub can not only keep track of their movements but can also do things like remind them about a doctor’s appointment, tell them when it’s time to take their medication and remind them to drink water regularly.
Sofihub can also remind them when they need to take the bins out, if it’s someone’s birthday and it will also read text messages when they are received.
And the good news is that all of this is achieved without audio or video surveillance so it doesn’t compromise their privacy.
The in-home solutions include the Sofihub Home which looks like a smart speaker and the keyring-sized Sofihub Beacon which has an emergency button.
“With a larger percentage of the community 60+ opting to live at home for longer, we saw an opportunity to create technology that allowed them to be independent and enjoy the latest smart home technology,” says Peter Scala, CEO of Unisono.
“We are really excited about our technology as it’s going to completely change the way the users are able to function on a daily basis.
“After creating Sofihub home technology with the 60+ demographic in mind, we realised there are other markets that can benefit from the beacon technology.”
The Sofihub products and monitoring service can be purchased upfront or with monthly payments on 24-month and 36-month contracts from $33 a month.
