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Hogar Avante, prototype of a safe and functional housing unit for disabled adults and children
Publication date: 27th May, 2010
Turning on and off the lights using the eye’s iris, playing with a video console with head movements and even making a shopping list through a mobile… all of this is possible in Hogar Avante, an exhibition which recreates a home adapted for the needs of mobility, health and well-being of disabled or dependent persons. It can be seen at Avante, from the 2nd to the 4th of June in Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition centre.
Designed using accessibility criteria, a 128 m2 apartment has been equipped with products and new technologies that improve the autonomy, self-esteem and life quality of children and adults in a state of dependency and with physical, sensorial and cognitive disability, as well as of their relatives and carers. This type of housing favours the social and work integration of these people, is a support tool in rehabilitation processes and helps administrations to reduce costs because personal care can be given at home.
Hogar Avante reproduces four rooms. The living room incorporates systems which allow users to open and close doors and to turn lights on and off by looking at a screen, as well as solutions that enable severely disabled children to play videogames from a wheelchair with head movements. The bedroom contains adapted toys, such as a Scalextric and a tricycle, computer accessories, a sensorial stimulation area and a bed that automatically makes posture changes during the night.
Among other features, the bathroom has a wash basin, with a remote-controlled height regulator. The kitchen has teleassistance services that detect gas leaks and notify family members or carers if a patient has fallen or not carried any normal activities all day, such as opening the fridge. It includes devices that allow users to make a shopping list using a mobile and height-adjustable furniture. It is also equipped with a system for localising users within the home and, for reasons of safety, monitoring how much time they spend in each room.
All the products can be seen at www.salonavante.com
This project, organised by Fira de Barcelona and coordinated by BJ Adaptaciones, has the collaboration of GAES, RehaGirona, Toshiba, the Vodafone and ONCE Foundations and the Diputació de Barcelona.
Barcelona, 27th May 2010
Montse García Duque
93 233 35 46
mgarciad@firabcn.es