On November 23,  a press conference opening the project  “Implementation of the Independent Living service using innovative technologies supporting the quality of life of the elderly” was held. The aim of the event was to inform about the implementation of the investment, partnership within the project and co-financing under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021. The main assumptions of the project, goals and benefits that its implementation will bring for the local community were presented. The questions asked by the media were answered.

In addition, a new dedicated website, www.villazakatek.pl, was presented, where you can follow information about the project, news and monitor the progress of the project.

Aging population is one of the main challenges faced by European cities, including Polish ones. The share of elderly people in the population of Poland is systematically growing.

At the end of 2018, people aged 60 and more constituted about 25% of the total population in Poland. Poles aged 60–64 dominated in the structure of the elderly.

Already in 2030 – 53.3% of one-person households will be run by people aged 65+. In 2050, Poland will be one of the European countries with the most advanced population aging process.

So the question is, what problems the majority of our society will face in the next years?

Loneliness — the biggest problem

Research by psychologist John Cacioppo, a professor at the University of Chicago specializing in loneliness and its effects on people, indicates that loneliness is one of the major problems facing older people. The research carried out by the professor shows that the impact of loneliness on our health is similar to living in poverty. While bad socioeconomic conditions increase by 19 percent risk of premature death after the age of 50, loneliness may increase the risk of premature death by 14% in the elderly. Loneliness in adulthood has dramatic consequences. Along with the feeling of isolation, sleep worsens, blood pressure increases, the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) increases, the expression of genes related to the immune system is disturbed, well-being decreases and the risk of depression increases. Without social stimulation, cognitive functions, such as thinking, association, analysis and memory, also deteriorate. Mental health problems are more common in societies where vulnerable people are left on their own, according to a report by The Lonley Society published by The Mental Health Foundation. Loneliness causes anger, sadness, depression, worthlessness, emptiness, and pessimism.

Cohousing as a global trend

The residential cohousing model is popular especially in Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and overseas in the USA and Canada. This is a completely new trend in Poland.

On the one hand, this model satisfies the need for an independent, private life in an apartment adjusted to the needs and budget of a senior citizen, and on the other hand, it meets social needs and prevents exclusion and loneliness. Many modern seniors feel the need to live not with their family, but with their peers on their own terms.

Many scientific studies prove that cohousing is a better solution than traditional forms of living – it promotes integration, which affects a better, healthier and happier life.

Cohousing — for whom?

Senior cohousing will be perfect solution for people who do not want to live alone, in a Social Welfare Home or with a sense of burden for children. The offer is addressed to people over 50-55 who have already raised children or did not have them, as an alternative to living alone or in a retirement home.

Seniors focusing mainly on an active, independent lifestyle that allows them, on the one hand, to pursue their interests and passions, and, on the other hand, to care for physical and mental health.

Living in a community

I call this model “private life plus”.
We do everything separately, but community is
designed that if we want, we can
also work together. And so, for example, each of us
rather, cooks himself at home, although it happens to us to
hang out for neighborhood dinners, because we have a common
dining room.

— Jan (88, senior cohousing Het Kwarteel, The Netherlands) quoted from Gazeta Wyborcza, Cohousing. “I have 20 years left and I want it to be a sweet time.” Ada Petriczko, Aleksandra Zbroja on November 2, 2020

In addition to common spaces conducive to integration, living in the community is also more economical. Many things can be bought together or shared, such as a computer, car, sewing machine and newspaper subscriptions. Joint grocery shopping or purchasing services are also cheaper and more accessible to cohousing members.

Villa Zakątek will feature a common integration and workshop room, a large kitchen with a dining room, a fitness room, a laundry and a drying room. There is a rehabilitation room and a café on the ground floor of the building. Seniors will also be able to take advantage of the concierge services, nurse care or full board services. Residents will help to run café, where, in addition to delicious coffee, hot tea and home-made cakes, you will be able to participate in themed evenings, such as bingo or poetry evening.

Villa Zakątek is a modern facility in which innovative and ecological technologies are implemented, such as photovoltaic panels, energy-saving windows and intelligent systems for monitoring health and safety of seniors.

Autumn of life at Villa Zakątek

When creating Villa Zakątek, we believe that the autumn of life does not have to be depressing, associated with loneliness and exclusion. Villa Zakątek will provide a friendly place to live, nursing care, recreational and integration places, meals tailored to the needs of seniors, support in shopping and dealing with everyday matters, cleaning services – all at the green Piastowskie District in Lublin, which is friendly to seniors.

At Villa Zakątek, we provide seniors with a sense of security and satisfaction. The comfort of the elderly is our priority.

5 innovative technologies in our facility:

1. SMART HEALTH & SAFETY SUPERVISION (H&S) — an automatic monitoring system for the health and safety of seniors

The system will allow automatic, non-invasive recognition of the type of movement and related incidents, and thanks to the precise temperature sensors, it will be able to monitor body temperature. The motion sensor based on IR imaging will detect the most important types of incidents related to human movement, such as fall, immobility, and precisely determine the body temperature. On this basis, it will allow to determine whether the person is asleep or has fallen, and whether the body temperature of the individual has not risen to the disease level.

This information will be automatically processed by the system, which on its basis generates defined actions, such as switching on sound and visual signals in the building, sending notifications to mobile devices of family members, releasing electronic locks enabling getting to the person requiring assistance. The system will enable both active (conscious) call for help by pressing the help button and passive – detection of life-threatening / safety situations by the system, for example detection of a fall, immobility, high body temperature.

2. SMART LIVING (smart Lock — biometric locks)

Fingerprint biometric locks will be installed in the facility, thanks to which seniors will not need keys to get to the apartments. This will ensure a high level of comfort and safety. In the event of a security risk detection, the electronic lock will be released, allowing the neighbors or family to enter the room with the person needing help. The layout of fingerprints does not change with age, it is unique and indelible. The system analyzes the image of the finger scanned by the reader – the orientation and inclination of the fingerprints. It searches for characteristic points on the basis of which it generates an algorithm that is compared with the data in the database.

The use of a biometric sensor allows you to improve the comfort of using the premises thanks to the use of fingerprint readers to open the door and to open it remotely using a telephone. It also improves safety thanks to the possibility of emergency opening in the situation of a threat to the health or life of residents.

3. SMART HOME — intelligent light and heat control system

The building automation system will enable intelligent control of light and heat through:

• dusk sensors — automatic switching on of lighting at the entrance to the facility / apartment after dark. Automatic illumination of the access path to the bathroom after dark (non-waking light, illuminating the road),
• intelligent heat control, defining target room temperatures for day and night, as well as defining optimal temperatures in rooms where people are / are not present,
• the ability to control the temperature and lighting also from the panel and / or application, individual settings for individual rooms / apartments,
• the ability to turn on / off the lighting in the apartment with one button,
• defining any temperature schedules in the apartment depending on the time of day, taking into account the automatic reduction of the temperature level after detecting the absence of household members and an increase in the case of presence. The system will allow you to set the optimal (individual) temperature during sleep and after waking up.

4. SAFE HOME — a threat monitoring system including smoke and flood detectors, alarm system, video intercoms

For the sake of safety, smoke detectors, flood detectors, video intercoms and an alarm system will be installed in the facility. The sensors will monitor emergency situations, and in the event of an alarm, caused by e.g. smoke or flooding, will activate a visual and audible signal in the facility and send notifications to family members and / or monitoring stations, which will enable quick and efficient intervention of third parties on detected threats.

5. KOMP — a system of counteracting loneliness and social isolation by ensuring easy contact with family and friends

Technology designed by an innovative Norwegian company in cooperation with seniors and the Norwegian Cancer Society. Carried out in 2017 research among seniors indicated that when designing a new technology, it should be taken into account that vision, hearing and the ability to learn new interactions with technologies are a significant limitation for the elderly. At the same time, one of the biggest problems indicated by seniors is loneliness and lack of contact with family and grandchildren. Alternative solutions such as instant messaging are too complicated for most seniors. That is why No Isolation has designed from scratch an intuitive device intended for communication between senior and loved ones. At the moment, the KOMP technology is the only technology in the world that has been designed in cooperation with seniors (including people 80+ with typical difficulties such as hearing loss, vision problems, disability) and the operation of which does not require any technological preparation (the device has one button to switch,a large screen where the senior can view the uploaded photos or receive video calls from his relatives). The aim of technology is to counteract exclusion and loneliness. In the opinion of technology users: 90% of users and family members confirmed that the solution influenced the maintenance of ongoing contact by exchanging information and photos, 83% of family members confirmed that the use of KOMP technology improved the quality of meetings with seniors (including more topics for conversation), 90% of seniors rated the technology as easy to use.

There is currently no facility of this type on the Polish market that offers such a range of services based on innovative technologies that improve the quality of life and safety of seniors. The innovation is based on a unique combination of the concept of cohousing with At-Home-Monitoring Systems technologies.

Villa Zakątek is a unique investment on a national level, which is located in the intimate, green Piastowskie district near the city center.

Lots of amenities will be waiting for the residents. In the fitness room and the rehabilitation room, they will be able to take care of their physical health. The café and the workshop room will provide a place to spend time with friends and family.

The concept of the building was prepared by a well-known and respected Lublin architect — Antoni Herman, who is the author of the Piastowski housing estate. The property will have 3 floors and an underground car park, and it will fit in with the surrounding architecture and will not be dominated by its size.

Construction works started in September 2021 and its completion is planned 1Q 2023. The area around the investment has been fenced for security reasons. After the building is put into use, the surrounding area will be open and accessible. An underground car park will be built in Villa Zakątek so as not to take it away from residents of nearby blocks. We will also provide convenient access to the footbridge and the bus stop from Leszka Czarnego Street.

It is worth emphasizing that the district has a rich service and commercial offer. Additionally, the place is very well connected with other parts of the city. All this will guarantee a comfortable and trouble-free life for future residents.

We are pleased to announce that on June 8, 2021, MSCG, as a beneficiary of the “Development of entrepreneurship and innovation” program under the Norwegian Funds, solemnly signed a grant agreement at the PARP headquarters for a project concerning the introduction of the innovative Independent Living service to the market. Under the “Development of entrepreneurship and innovation” program, 738 applications were submitted for the total amount of support requested over PLN 1,2 billion, including 101 applications for the “Technologies that improve the quality of life” scheme. As part of the competition, 14 companies from Poland received support, including MSCG, which took 2nd place on the ranking list.

As part of the project, cooperation with a Norwegian partner was planned in the field of market replication and development of technology ensuring simple, remote communication for older people with the younger generation. The project combines the concept of senior cohousing with innovative At-Home-Monitoring-Systems technologies such as an intelligent system for automatic, non-invasive monitoring of the health and safety of elderly people and monitoring of threats.

“Development of entrepreneurship and innovation” is a program to support the development of enterprises, the operator of which is the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. It is one of twelve programs developed and financed under the Norwegian funds and the EOG Financial Mechanism in Poland.

Press releases

• www.parp.gov.pl
• polskieradio24.pl
• www.pb.pl