MEG BOLTON
Elements Retirement Living in Springwood is leading the way in revolutionising life for the over 55’s by equipping every house-hold in the village with an iPad.
The technology will be used for both work and play with residents being able to lodge maintenance reports, check security cameras and use Facebook from the comfort of their living room.
Managing Director Chiou See Anderson said the initiative leads the way in retirement living.
“We are the only village in the market place where we are continuously improving, continuously evolving because of our close integration with our residents,” Ms Anderson said.
Although mixing seniors and technology may be a surprising move for some, resident Ivy Douglas insists the technology is no challenge.
“We are up with it just like everyone else,” Ms Douglas said.
“We can just communicate with everybody, we don’t have to sit on the phone and hope it isn’t engaged, we don’t have to run down to the office with a piece of paper, it’s just tremendous.”
Ms Anderson said the concept behind the high tech village is to unite generations, both young and old.
“I really wanted to make sure grandchildren do not come to elements and think that everyone is fuddy-duddy and there’s no internet and no speed and there’s nothing happening,” Ms Anderson said.
The South-East retirement village’s introduction of iPads to its villages is not the only technology initiative taking place in the region. QUT’s Robotronica is providing an insight of what is yet to come in the robot world.
Project Manager at Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, Belinda Ward, said robots will be able to provide an alternative for human contact.
“Social robots are robots that are designed to interact with humans and to be human companions,” Ms Ward said.
“They can offer companionship, they can come up to someone who might be sitting alone, start an interaction with them, perhaps get them up, get them moving, be a little bit of entertainment.”