TribeApp: Home alone, ill or in distress? Just press the button

The Straits Times 
September 30, 2023

Original Article

SINGAPORE – Losing her privacy was Madam Chan Woon Siong’s main concern when the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) installed four motion sensors in her Ang Mo Kio three-room flat four years ago.

She was also given two panic buttons. She wears one around her neck, and the other is installed beside her bed.

“Are these cameras recording my every move at home?” the 82-year-old retired cleaner asked the SRC team.

She was assured that the devices had no cameras. 

Madam Chan, a widow with no children, is alone at home most of the time. She has hypertension and failing eyesight, and had previously experienced a few falls that weakened her legs.

She is a beneficiary of SRC’s Home Monitoring and Eldercare service, or HoME+, which provides seniors with a helpline for non-emergency situations and a monitoring, alert and response system for home safety. 

When installed in a home, the system’s motion sensors trigger an alert in the event of prolonged inactivity. For instance, if a motion sensor is installed in the bathroom, the SRC call centre will be notified if there is a lack of activity for a period of time after the senior has entered the space.  
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