Event-Driven and District-Related Home Care: Networked Technical Building Equipment (TBE) as a Basis for Ambient Assisted Living

In Germany, a growing trend can be monitored towards increasing life expectancy, low fertility rates, increasing long-term care rates, a demographic shift in the age structure (demographic challenges). Furthermore, two-third of the dependent people prefer growing old at home instead of living in a retirement home (sociocultural challenges). These trends can also be observed at the European level. In this context, the overall future task for politics, society is to provide environments where older people can act as independently as possible. Moreover, care providers are challenged to convert scheduled care approaches into event-driven services by using Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) concepts. The idea is to install various technical elements within the usual living environment, to adapt them to the special needs of the people who need care at home. Beside others, the main challenge is to cross-link various technical devices to an overall system, to harmonize its functions or features. The used Technical Building Equipment (TBE) is based on the popular KNX bus standard. Several information, needed to realize an event-driven care concept, are generated by using different types of sensors installed in the living environment. Various algorithms analyze the occurring data set, convert it into usable information. Based on these information, it is possible to provide different support, security features for the residents. In order to do so, it is also necessary to protect the privacy of the supported patient in the context of data security.