Assisted Living at Residence De Linden
- Category Smart Care
- Location Kapellen (Antwerp)
- Client Salveto vzw
- Date 07 nov 2017
Assisted-living flats De Linden are located in the heart of the Antwerp municipality of Kapellen. The people behind this initiative, psychologist Yo Buyens and architect Pieter Goffin, built 17 flats there, with a surface area ranging from 67 m² to 111 m². IPBuilding created smart assisted living homes whose technology adapts to the residents’ needs and requirements.
Yo Buyens: “This is our first project in the healthcare industry. Before shaping our concept, we visited many other projects. We always kept in mind the idea: “How do we really want to live when we are 70 or 80 years old or even older.”
Safety, freedom, respect, social engagement, accessibility and service are paramount. It goes without saying that the assisted living housing is fully wheelchair-accessible. All facilities to provide appropriate care, if necessary, are present but not visible. In this way, we promote the dignity and privacy of our residents.
Adaptable technology
Much attention was paid to acoustic comfort as well as insulation and ventilation. “The building is very bright and we really wanted to create the feeling that this is a normal flat, and not an assisted living flat,” says Pieter Goffin. “The flat needs to adapt to its occupant’s care needs. That is why we also started to look for a suitable solution, to make the assisted living flats ready for the future.” The promoters eventually opted for IPBuilding and turned their apartment building into a real Smart building. All controls such as for lighting, heating, screens, and others are operated via a touchscreen. Also, the residents can make emergency calls via the same system, and they also have access to movable push buttons and a push button/necklace that residents can take with them.
Home nurse Jan Van Gils who provides care in De Linden experiences the added value of IP Building’s Smart Care solutions. “When a resident of De Linden places a call, I immediately get a message on my phone about who is contacting me and where that person is located inside the flat. I can also communicate with the resident, via a high-quality two-way communication system. At the same time, the TV switches itself off, so I can better understand the person. To ensure the residents’ safety, the hob is also automatically switched off, the temperature of the floor heating raised and all of the lights in the apartment are switched on.”
Controlled remotely
In addition to the benefits for residents and nurses, the Smart Care system also offers numerous benefits for the building manager. Peter Goffin and Yo Buyens can monitor the entire building remotely. This includes building access and access to the individual apartments and common area, camera surveillance, temperature monitoring, and more.
Salveto has also selected IPBuilding’s Smart Care solutions for its other new projects in the pipeline (incl. in Kalmthout, Mariaburg and Brecht).
