Technology Tuesday

Today I’d like to share an update on Imagine!’s Tuneberg Project.

Thanks to the generosity of Aaron's Fund, Imagine! has created a technology demonstration project to improve and support the safety needs for adults with disabilities. The project is currently supporting eight individuals in Boulder County. The Tuneberg Project has developed a specific tool to assess individual support needs and identify the technologies that will best help meet those needs. The technology that has been purchased is individualized to the identified needs. It includes door and window sensors, heat and stove detectors, medication reminders, visual doorbells, and prompting systems for daily tasks. All of these are integrated into a notification system that provides alerts to caregivers or 911.

This technology allows people to be monitored remotely and notifies loved ones or caregivers when people are home and what area of the apartment or living space they are accessing. All systems allow the individuals to remain independent while still promoting their safety by remotely locking doors, monitoring when someone comes to their doors, and providing alerts when an alarm is triggered.

As one parent described: “I'm writing to tell you that the safety system Imagine! installed in my daughter's home worked very well today. First, I received a text telling me that the smoke alarm had gone off in my daughter's place at 4pm. I knew no one was there at that time besides my daughter, so I rushed over. The alarm was ringing loudly. My daughter was out of her home (with her hands over her ears). And a neighbor had called 911. It turned out that my daughter had experimented with making her first snack on the stove top and the oil in the pan had sent a lot of smoke into the air. No fire or any serious damage, but a good trial of the systems to make sure everyone knew what they should be doing.” 

The Tuneberg Project is helping to fill a huge gap that currently exists in services for adults with intellectual disabilities who are mostly independent but need some assistance to remain safe and self-reliant. At the end of this three-year project, Imagine! will share the results with state and local leaders to encourage the adoption of technology into the service system.