WA@H: Enhancing Independent Living with Smart Home Monitoring

What is WA@H?

The Wallonie Assist@Home (WA@H) project is a research initiative that aims to assess whether installing environmental sensors and fall-detection bracelets in the homes of beneficiaries can bring real benefits. The beneficiaries of this project are primarily individuals over 65 years old or those with recognized disabilities, as defined by the criteria of the Walloon region's call for the project. The sensors, placed in key rooms like the living room, bedroom, and kitchen, monitor daily movements and routines, detecting unusual patterns. If an anomaly is identified, the telecare service, Télé-Secours, consolidates this information to assess the appropriate response—whether it’s a significant change in routine or a potential fall. This setup allows Télé-Secours to provide timely assistance when needed. Additionally, the sensors are complemented by an automatic fall-detection bracelet that sends a stronger alert and prompts Télé-Secours to quickly contact beneficiaries if triggered.

The link between WA@H and the 8CTPs

Our mission is to support the independence of beneficiaries and delay their institutionalization so they can stay safely at home for as long as possible. To achieve this, a grid of technology evaluation criteria was drawn up, which was then used as part of a public contract to purchase these technologies for testing.

The Wallonie Assist@Home (WA@H) project, managed by CIAS-Partenamut, aims to prevent or detect as early as possible the loss of autonomy related to age and/or disability, to improve the quality of life of individuals and allow them to continue living comfortably at home, avoiding hospitalizations and/or admissions to nursing homes or care facilities. The project’s goal is to equip homes with available assistive technologies on the market and implement them in phases, starting by testing an initial set of technologies to validate their positive effects on home support.

The purpose of our research project is to determine whether these technologies are truly beneficial; we are not here to promote tech companies. Since technologies in this sector aren’t yet fully reliable, our strategy is to assess how they work and identify potential benefits for beneficiaries. The process began in 2023 with a consortium of home care aides, occupational therapists, Télé-Secours, disability sector experts, social services, methodology experts, and scientific and academic experts to ensure a structured approach and incorporate all necessary recommendations (CTP 6).

Through preparatory interviews with home and family assistance recipients, we were able to identify people’s needs and then wanted to study whether technologies of this kind could meet these needs or not. We used anonymized data (to avoid any conflict) from around 20,000 Télé-Secours subscribers to develop personas to help assess how well the proposed solutions meet users’ needs (CTP 1). Placing beneficiaries at the center of the project is essential; without addressing their needs and gaining acceptance, meaningful progress won’t be possible.

“We didn’t want to create a need but respond to an existing need.”

The research that followed focused on selecting the most suitable technology from existing options before going into the field. Our approach is to first assess what these sensors can detect and then determine the appropriate response. For example, if someone typically sleeps in their bedroom but spends a night in front of the TV, should an alert be triggered? Not necessarily. We began by meeting with tech companies to understand their offerings and verify the reliability and usability of each technology. We ensured quality assurance was supported through data analysis and scientific evidence, with research findings documented in academic publications (CTP 7).

Following this, laboratory tests were conducted, with engineers simulating falls and other scenarios to further evaluate the technologies. In May 2024, we established a test group of 42 beneficiaries, conducting monthly follow-ups to monitor progress and gather direct feedback (CTP 2). A broader deployment began in October 2024 and is still ongoing, with plans to create subgroups to address specific questions, always involving beneficiaries (CTP 2).

Informed consent is central; we provide beneficiaries with all necessary information, allowing them to decide whether or not to participate (CTP 3). Télé-Secours serves as a safety net in case the fall-detection bracelet fails. For data use, only Télé-Secours can link subscriber numbers to beneficiaries’ identities, ensuring privacy, with beneficiaries' consent and alignment with our data protection commitment (CTP 4).

In the future, we aim to organize focus groups with volunteers to gather feedback and guide the project’s direction, fostering participative governance (CTP 6). Based on feedback, we have already made adjustments, such as ending collaboration with a company due to reliability issues. Expanding awareness of these principles and involving more partners is crucial, and workshops and case studies will help communicate these principles to a wider audience (CTP 8). For organizations interested in applying these principles, it’s essential to consider them from the start, directly involving stakeholders and advancing step-by-step.

“How can people develop solutions if they don’t have real-world experience?”

Challenges

It is difficult to accurately assess the reliability of these technologies, and the maturity of the sector based solely on lab test results. That’s why we wanted to conduct field testing on the technology to see how it performed with actual beneficiaries. With the current group of 42 participants, we still lack sufficient data to confirm its usefulness or relevance, as the short timeframe limits insights into daily habits. Some beneficiaries haven’t required any alerts in three months. Since the project runs through the end of 2025, we may see more evidence of benefit over time, though, for now, it remains limited.

A key challenge is selecting technology that meets the needs of elderly individuals, who may need reassurance that it’s there to help, not monitor them. Additionally, we chose not to communicate all data captured through the app to relatives to avoid generating excessive alerts.

“Technology should be there to help people, not control them.”

Another recruitment challenge is finding people with diverse profiles to gather well-rounded insights. We seek varied profiles to assess the technology’s effectiveness across different types of individuals.

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Through the integration of the 8CTPs and the lessons learned from the Wallonie Assist@Home project, we are shaping an inclusive approach to assistive technology. These principles have helped us refine our methods, address blind spots, and ensure that the needs of our beneficiaries are placed at the forefront. This will allow us to move closer to achieving the ultimate goal of supporting independent living and delaying institutionalization, ultimately improving the quality of life for people in need of assistance.

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