When the Indian government suddenly decided to impose a lockdown on March 25, 2020, as the Coronavirus rampaged the world, inflicting excruciatingly painful effects on the world economy, Ram Singh, 72, had his personal reasons to worry about. Singh, who lives in his 2BHK house in the national capital’s Mayur Vihar Phase-I Extension locality, was now living all by himself after the recent passing of his wife Mira Singh. When the domestic help was banned from entering the society premises the next day, Singh was left stranded for days. The retired school teacher, who has now developed a bad heart condition and general weakness because of his advanced age, had to fend for himself for days till his distant relatives were able to visit the house and take him along. Unlike Singh, a large number of senior citizens had no one to call on short notice because family members mostly lived outside of India.
Unfortunately, this lot bought their homes when they were young, an age when it is hard to imagine the difficulties old age will generally inflict. One fails to pay attention but homes that might seem comfortable and cozy in the prime of your life will not appear so when you are a geriatric. It is in this aspect, among many other things, of course, that the Coronavirus pandemic has given us valuable lessons. As the global health emergency forces us to be better prepared about our future, it highlights the need for the amalgamation of technology in building construction to offer the elderly better living options.
See also: Senior living communities: A necessity, post the COVID-19 pandemic
Developers like Silverglades have tried to address that issue in their housing projects. At its Sohna Road-located senior living project Melia First Citizen, for example, the developer has not only made specific provisions in the internal building plan to offer ease of living to the elderly, but also peppered the entire township with hi-tech smart living solutions that mean to redefine the concept of senior living in India.
“While facilities like 24×7 healthcare services, round-the-clock security, senior friendly home features, dining facilities, recreational amenities and socializing points are non-negotiable in a housing project meant for senior living, additional features are required within the unit to make day-to-day living even more comfortable for a senior. This becomes absolutely critical in a situation where they are living all by themselves and frequent bodily movement may be difficult because of general weakness or fatigue,” says Anubhav Jain, Director, Silverglades, a company that has also forayed in this still evolving housing segment in India.
Conceptualised as India’s first smart and intelligent homes for seniors, all apartments at Melia First Citizen are powered by artificial intelligence through Amazon Alexa. Using the voice command features in English and Hindi, residents, who will be trained by the company to operate these devises, will be able to run all household gadgets such as lights, fans, ACs, geyser, television, etc. They could simply use the voice command to adjust these instruments as they feel comfortable, too. The mobile app will assist the resident controlling the front door. They don’t actually have to get up and open it every time a visitor comes calling.
This smart feature will also help residents in setting reminders for medication and daily routine, play music, songs and movies, seek information, do online shopping and find healthy recipes. They could also use the Alexa voice module to connect with other residents of Melia First Citizen, as well as family and friends, even to call for help in case of medical emergency or household services, and much more.
“With Melia, our aim is to set a new benchmark in the senior living segment in India. In senior living housing projects, the use of technology is restricted to a very few areas, such as the presence of a panic button. The Silverglades Group has been able to change that by offering truly smart living options powered by Alexa in its Melia First Citizen. We have applied all smart solutions currently available to us to make senior living not only utmost comfortable but absolutely enjoyable. Also these smart solutions are very easy to use and operate through app as well as voice commands,” says Deepak Bhattathiripad, director-marketing and sales, eGlu Smart Homes Systems.
“Keeping their utmost comfort at the heart of the project, we have provided housekeeping and cleaning services, laundry facility, concierge services, stretcher-size slow moving elevators, etc.,” Anubhav adds.
We can easily conclude that homes at Melia First Citizen have a unique ‘virtual companion’ which empowers the elderly, giving them a never-before opportunity to significantly reinvent their leisure years. These features empower the elderly to live with confidence, while First Citizen’s senior-friendly design elements and comprehensive facility management with 24×7 access to medical treatment and other facilities make it an ideal senior living community.
See also: Project in focus: Melia First Citizen
An alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, Sunita Mishra brings over 16 years of expertise to the fields of legal matters, financial insights, and property market trends. Recognised for her ability to elucidate complex topics, her articles serve as a go-to resource for home buyers navigating intricate subjects. Through her extensive career, she has been associated with esteemed organisations like the Financial Express, Hindustan Times, Network18, All India Radio, and Business Standard.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Sunita holds an MA degree in Sanskrit, with a specialisation in Indian Philosophy, from Delhi University. Outside of her work schedule, she likes to unwind by practising Yoga, and pursues her passion for travel.
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