An Environmental Control System for Group Homes

James Dean, Technical Solutions Australia Pty Ltd.

Adapted from a paper presented at the

Third Australian conference on Technology for People with Disabilities, 1997.

Technical Solutions Australia was commissioned by the Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Association of Victoria to design and supply an Environmental Control System for eighteen quadriplegic clients, who would be moving from an institutional setting into four purpose built group houses.

This paper describes the design process, and the final equipment that has been installed.

Design Process
Discussions were held between January 1996 and August 1997 with members of all house groups, Association management, the architect, electrical consultants, electricians, builders, and organisations with peripheral interests, such as Telecom, Optus, and electric door manufacturers.

Numerous discussion sessions were held with each house group. Comments and ideas were reported to subsequent groups to encourage a "cross fertilisation" of ideas.

All groups agreed they had to plan for both their current specific needs, and for future residents that may have different requirements.
 

Basic Concept
The challenge we saw with this project was to provide an access strategy which catered to individuals with extremely limited dexterity, while not forcing people with lesser disabilities to use inappropriate equipment to operate the same facilities. Compatibility had to be provided for a wide range of input methods.

The overall system is based on appropriately positioned direct access controls with a secondary access method via infra red remote control signals. Therefore residents with adequate upper limb function can operate light switches etc. directly, while those with more severe disabilities can access the same facilities using more personal equipment.

The original plan assumed Residents had access to the currently available range of "off the shelf" control devices which use infra red signals. These include voice recognition systems and single switch operated scanning devices. A basic household system designed to be compatible with these devices can be operated by almost anyone.

In practice, funds and organisational time were not available to obtain these devices, so the system was modified to incorporate single-switch scanning access into bedroom equipment for all residents.

Funding and political considerations played a significant part in the final outcome (what’s new?). It was determined that the control system should ensure access was available to built in household facilities such as lights, doors, intercom, but not cater for personal entertainment equipment such as televisions.

It was decided that as the houses would have 24 hour staff, operation of lights in halls and public areas did not need to be included in a control system. It was also decided that if a resident was capable of using the ensuite bathroom independently, they would not need special access to lights in that room.

All members of the house group felt a call system between their rooms and the staff was essential. They considered a combination intercom/call system would be most practical, as the nature of the call could be conveyed verbally over the intercom.

The system is seen primarily as an intercom, as opposed to a nurse call system. Residents felt doorway indicator lights were not necessary, and felt too "institutional". They also felt that call buttons in the ensuite bathrooms were not necessary. In most cases the bathrooms would only be used with the assistance of a staff member, and if they were in trouble in the bathroom, the chances of being able to reach a call button were not high.

Once activated, the intercom is hands free from the resident’s perspective. The person answering the call uses a push to talk button to control the direction of the conversation. This approach was used instead of hands free telephone techniques, which can be unreliable if background noise (such as a television) is present.

Portable Remote Control
The Control System is also accessible via infra red signals. A transmitter similar to a television remote control was supplied for each room, which operates the above functions.

This transmitter can be used in bed, or from a wheelchair. It can also be used to train more sophisticated environmental control equipment, such as the Gewa Prog, or Simplicity Speech Recognition System.

The infra red remote also provides radio operation of front and back doors. The range of this transmitter allows it to be used both inside and outside, effectively making it a personal house key. Smaller "door only" transmitters can also be supplied.
 
Costs
The cost per room for the system worked out at around $5000 (Australian). This compares very favourably with "out-of-the-box" environmental control systems, which would still have to be customised.

The household wiring links into the control box via a set of special plugs. Cables run through the roof to the intercom stations in the Staff bedroom and kitchen area. A cable is also run inside the wall to a socket beside the bed for the console.

Infra red sensors mounted in the hallway outside the door and inside the bedroom pick up the signals from the infra red/radio remote and feed them to the control box. Radio receivers have been fitted to each of the main electric doors, which respond to the "Front Door" and "Back Door" buttons on the remote control.