Welsh Government Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy learned how cutting-edge smart technology is helping to transform care options for older people during a visit projects in Aberystwyth and Aberaeron.

The technology helping older people to stay in their own homes for longer includes voice-activated devices and smart speakers, which remind people to take their medication, have remote GP check-ups and allow care-givers to monitor whether appliances have been left on.

The minister had a tour on 2 June of the SMART Home Lab at Aberystwyth University, which is trialling a fully-functioning and connected bungalow to test assisted living technology.

The Supporting Care Circles project uses an online dashboard to collect information from a range of sensors placed in a person’s home, which allows carers, families and health professionals to keep a remote eye on a loved one.

The Minister also visited Penmorfa Centre for Independent Living in Aberaeron, which provides smart devices to help people access information and stay in their own homes for longer.

Sarah Murphy said: “Smart home technology will play a crucial role in improving quality of life and independence for older adults while supporting our dedicated health and social care workforce.

“Helping people to remain at home for longer, with the right support, will provide a massive benefit in avoiding unnecessary hospital admission and delayed discharge from care.

“It has been fascinating to learn about the latest technology, to support people to manage their health, maintain their independence and improve their quality of life.”

Dr Patricia Shaw, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at Aberystwyth University, said: “The smart home lab gives the university a space to co-create technologies and evaluate how they work in a real-life context.

“It also provides a space for the whole social care ecosystem to explore new solutions.”