How to take care of independent senior citizens remotely

With modern medicine the average life expectancy has increased, which means that some of us might not have adequately prepared for retirement. The cost of living increases on a yearly basis and most of our loved ones can’t afford to retire in a facility that offers the world-class care we sometimes need.

Vox ICE (in case of emergency) caters for the wellbeing of elderly people who are living on their own, are self-sufficient, but require a certain amount of care.

The technology uses international best practice to deliver an affordable and user-friendly non-intrusive solution to connect caregivers and family members with older people who want to live independent lives.

Designed and developed by professionals from the medical, paramedical, and social sectors, Vox ICE consists of:

• A wearable geolocation device, which a senior can easily carry with them whenever they leave home. The pendant doubles as a panic button and features an accelerometer that detects rapid movements based on complex algorithms to detect when a person falls outside the home.
• Motion sensors installed at strategic places inside the house. The older person’s privacy is not compromised at all through these sensors (which means no video is captured). The sensors are programmed merely to detect abnormal movement, temperatures and behaviour.
• Door sensors to be placed at frequently used doors such as the front and back entrances to ensure the safety of the older person living alone.

So how does Vox ICE work?

Vox ICE runs movement data captured by the sensors through a deep-learning engine that builds trends and events around the older person living on their own. Once an event outside the norm takes place — for example a fall or not locking the back door after a certain amount of time — an alert is sent to a predefined list of emergency contacts. This can be the next of kin, a neighbour, a caregiver, a control centre (in the case of a frail care facility), or even an emergency response.

While technology will never be a replacement for personal caregiving, Vox ICE provides caregivers access to the daily lives of their loved ones, allowing them to react timeously should an unfortunate incident occur.

Plug-and-play solution

As Vox ICE is a life-saving solution, it has built-in battery power. Not only does this mean it mitigates the risk of power failures, but no existing internet connectivity is required on site. It’s a self-contained product to deliver a complete plug-and-play experience at an affordable price.

Vox ICE provides telecare solutions to South Africans, regardless of their physical location. Vox is about saving lives and delivering innovation that solves a significant human challenge through technology.

The Vox ICE technology enhances the safety and monitoring of older people by supporting their independent living arrangements.

Sensors are shipped to the location for self-install or arrangements can be made with the Vox Service Centre for a qualified technician to do the installation. A solution for an average-sized department costs about R389 a month with no upfront fees on the self-install option.

For more information on Vox I.C.E call 087-805-0016, e-mail ice@voxtelecom.co.za or visit vox.co.za. 

This article was paid for by Vox Telecommunications.

So how does Vox ICE work? 

Vox ICE runs movement data captured by the sensors through a deep learning engine that builds trends and events around the older person living on their own. Once an event outside the norm takes place, such as a fall or not locking the back door after a certain amount of time, an alert is sent to a predefined list of emergency contacts. This can either be the next of kin, a neighbour, a caregiver, a control centre (in the case of a frail care facility), or even an emergency response.

While technology will never be a replacement for personal caregiving, Vox ICE provides caregivers with remote access to their loved ones, allowing them to react timeously should an unfortunate incident occur. 

Can you afford to be without Vox ICE?

As Vox ICE has built-in battery power, which mitigates the risk of power failures, and no existing internet connectivity is required on site. It’s a self-contained offering with everything built in, for a plug-and-play experience at an affordable price. 

Vox ICE provides telecare solutions to South Africans regardless of their physical location. Vox is about saving lives and delivering innovation that solves a significant human challenge through technology.

The Vox ICE technology enhances the safety and monitoring of older people by supporting their independent living arrangements.

Vox is a market-leading, end-to-end integrated ICT and infrastructure provider and telecommunications company. From data to voice, cloud, business collaboration and conferencing tools, Vox offers intelligent solutions that connect South Africans to the world, supporting entrepreneurs, customers and commerce, while practising values of integrity, choice and service excellence in all of its dealings. 

For more information on Vox I.C.E call 087-805-0016, e-mail ice@voxtelecom.co.za or visit vox.co.za.

This article was paid for by Vox Telecommunications.