SWEET HOME: HOME, MY OWN SWEET (SMART) HOME

<< Background >>The project was launched to address the needs of the estimated 80 million people with disabilities in the EU. These people often face daily challenges that significantly affect their independence, self-determination and overall quality of life. Despite advances in smart home technologies that could improve their daily living conditions, there is often a lack of awareness and understanding of how these technologies can be used to meet their specific needs.The SWEET HOME project aimed to bridge this gap by bringing together people with disabilities, professionals, carers and technology developers. It aimed to harness the potential of affordable smart home technologies to improve different areas of life such as healthcare, personal care, comfort, security, entertainment and mobility. The project focussed on creating user-friendly and clear guidance on how to understand, install and use appropriate smart home technologies to ensure they can be integrated into the homes of people with disabilities in a beneficial way.By fostering collaboration between all stakeholders and developing practical solutions tailored to the specific needs of people with disabilities, the project aimed to promote their autonomy and social inclusion.<< Objectives >>SWEET HOME aimed to create new opportunities for people with disabilities to live more independently and comfortably in their own homes. This was achieved by addressing the lack of knowledge about new home technologies among carers, social workers, occupational therapists and psychologists. The project developed and delivered training courses on an e-learning platform on the benefits, installation and use of home automation technologies. The content was tailored to different disabilities (Down syndrome, visual impairment, hearing impairment, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease) to meet their specific needs and support full social integration. The training was mainly offered to professionals, but informal carers, family members and the individuals themselves could also benefit directly. Specific objectives included SO1- Analyse types of disabilities and their needs for independent living; SO2- Network with associations and experts in disability and home automation; SO3- Provide recommendations for unmet community needs; SO4- Develop a home automation training strategy and content for different user groups; SO5- Create a free, interactive learning platform adapted to different disability groups.<< Implementation >>The SWEET HOME collaborative partnership brought together partners from academia, research, industry, disability services and vocational training from Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Greece. These partners had the profiles and expertise needed to achieve the proposed project outcomes through the exchange of knowledge in the relevant topics and areas. The project also established a network of experts in the field of disability, home automation and vocational training, working together to increase the autonomy of people with disabilities.The activities carried out within the project, supported by various associated partners, target user representatives and stakeholders, had the following objectivesProvision of three main project outputs: seven guides on problems, needs and solutions in home automation for people with disabilities; materials for three courses for professionals on how to implement these solutions in the home environment; and an interactive learning platform where these materials were made available to all professionals and interested users.In order to successfully achieve these results, the project partners carried out various activities: they conducted interviews, real-life observations in the homes of people with disabilities, and round tables with stakeholders and professionals in five European countries to analyse the real needs for seven different types of disabilities and possible smart home solutions (including the identification of unresolved or insufficiently addressed needs). They developed a common curriculum, divided into three courses covering basic concepts, installation and practical application of smart home technologies in ten thematic areas of daily life (health care and monitoring, personal care, home comfort, home security, entertainment, cleaning, home mobility, energy saving, social participation and e-learning) and provided instructions for implementation. They produced materials including videos, images and step-by-step descriptions in six languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish, French and Greek) and tested these materials with professionals and other stakeholders in Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Greece. They also developed an interactive multilingual platform for this material, which is accessible to everyone and allows learners to choose their own learning paths, courses or modules according to their needs and interests.Implementation of a promotion plan to ensure that the materials developed are fully available and promoted at European level. This included a visual identity, a website, a promotional video, a three-part podcast series, newsletters, brochures, articles, etc. to enable professionals to acquire this knowledge and digital skills and thereby improve the autonomy and independence of people with disabilities in their homes.Organisation and implementation of five transnational project meetings throughout the project duration, allowing partners and stakeholder representatives to review completed activities, discuss and plan upcoming tasks, monitor financial issues and exchange information and experiences.Organisation and implementation of six regional/national multiplier events to reach all defined target groups and interested stakeholders, to disseminate the developed project results to a wide audience and to increase the understanding of their use and benefits.Conducting quality assurance and risk monitoring activities to monitor the quality of all project activities and outputs, ensuring that the project implementation is in line with the planned work schedule and quality indicators.<< Results >>The SWEET HOME project has successfully achieved the following outputs and outcomes:1.) 7 reports/guides: comprehensive reports and guides have been produced for the 7 disability groups considered in the project, covering fields of application for people with physical, mental, sensory, neurological or organic disabilities. These guidelines present in a generally understandable form the challenges in everyday life of the groups concerned, their needs and recommendations for suitable smart home solutions, as identified in dialogue with various experts. In addition to this offer, compact brochures with recommendations were extracted for the industry, in which current problems of the target groups and future needs for action were pointed out, especially in the product development phases. For the scientifically orientated readership, 7 more detailed reports with statistical data were published as bonus material.2.) Common curriculum and 3 courses: A suitable curriculum was developed and three courses were created that build on each other and are equipped with texts, images, step-by-step explanations, interactive exercises and animated and real videos on home automation. The courses cover basic home automation concepts, installation and use on 10 topics (healthcare and monitoring, personal care, home comfort, home security, entertainment, cleaning, home mobility, energy saving, social participation and e-learning) and provide an overview and instructions on how to use these technologies. The courses are available in English, German, Italian, Spanish, French and Greek and improve learners' digital home automation skills.3.) Interactive learning platform: A user-friendly learning platform based on the ILIAS learning management system has been set up to provide all training materials. The SWEET HOME learning platform offers free access for learners, is adaptable to different devices (PCs, laptops, mobile phones, tablets) and needs (e.g. screen reader optimisation) and is available in 6 languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Greek). As part of an extensive pilot phase, the learning materials and the platform were tested, evaluated and continuously improved with the target groups. Feedback from users and stakeholders is continuously incorporated into the further development of the platform.4.) Networking: Networks were established between associations of people with disabilities, service providers and experts in home automation. These networks strengthened cooperation through regular knowledge exchange and the development of joint solutions in various project phases, such as round tables and pilots. In addition to developing customised solutions for the target groups, the scope of the project was also significantly expanded. Long-term partnerships were also established.5.) Promotional materials: Various resources were created to increase visibility and awareness of the project, including a logo, a multilingual website, multilingual information brochures, a promotional video, several newsletters, podcasts, a social media presence on various platforms, thematically informative articles and participation in conferences.6.) Local multiplier/promotional events: Five local events were organised to share and promote the project results with target groups and stakeholders, improve understanding of the use of the results and showcase the possibilities of the solutions developed.