After spending so much time inside this past year, there is a greater focus than ever on indoor air quality. According to this EPA report, 9 out of 10 American homes are breathing unhealthy indoor air, and the most at-risk people are the elderly, who also spend more time indoors than anyone else. Most people, however, are unaware that there is a problem, and their most likely way of discovering one is the onset of certain symptoms. Smart technology can help with that.
While there are smart appliances such as air purifiers that can be activated remotely via an app as soon as a problem is detected, these are not always good solutions for older people who are living alone. They may not be as technologically adept, or they simply may not notice the alert. That’s why it’s essential to have a smart home platform that allows for multiple users, giving caregivers the ability to assist either in person or remotely.
Why not just open the window? That’s not always an option. It can be too hot or too cold outside, and some seniors are physically unable to open the windows themselves. The good news is that air purifiers can be automated to turn on when elevated levels of pollutants are detected. With a platform like Ezlo’s, caregivers can create a simple device-triggered scene, in which the air quality sensor—if tripped—can signal the air purifier to turn on automatically and start cleaning the air. We’ve written previously about how to create a device trigger scene with Ezlo.
In addition, the system can be configured so that air quality monitoring sensors, such as the Philio PAT05 multisensor, can both track the indoor air quality and CO2 levels of a location, and send a warning to the caregiver when the pollutants exceed a certain threshold. This way, in addition to the air purification, action can be taken if needed to ensure the health of the seniors living alone.
Indoor air pollution can be a serious problem for seniors, and a challenge for their caregivers. But by combining appliances like air purifiers, fans, or dehumidifiers with an existing smart sensor, Ezlo makes it easy to have a smart solution that keeps tabs on your air quality, and cleans it as needed.
