Housing 21 shortlisted at Housing Digital Innovation Awards 2022

Housing 21 is celebrating Extra Care scheme, Meadow Walk, being shortlisted for the ‘Most innovative supported/ sheltered housing scheme’ at the Housing Digital Innovation Awards 2022!

Meadow Walk is an Extra Care scheme for older people of modest means in North Norfolk, developed to cater for the specific needs of the area’s growing older population and the higher-than-average prevalence of dementia in Norfolk’s over-65s.

The development features innovative technology, design and shared facilities tailored to cater for people with varied and evolving needs, including dementia-friendly and nostalgia-themed areas, to create a welcoming and supportive community.

We have harnessed digital technology to increase the safety, comfort and wellbeing of Meadow Walk residents. This technology has been built into the scheme during its construction to provide a digital call system connecting residents to each other, the court manager and our 24-hour care line emergency service.

Each apartment has a permanently powered, wall-mounted, touch screen android tablet which is connected to a central on-site computer. Residents can raise the alarm by pressing the virtual emergency button, which enables a quicker response than an analogue call system as well as allowing multiple calls to be dealt with at the same time.

The system also means residents can call our emergency contact centre, fellow Meadow Walk residents and people in other schemes.

The tablet has a range of apps which can be copied to residents’ personal tablets. This includes the emergency alarm (which is also connected to a wearable device) and the door-entry system, so residents can see who is calling before allowing them in. For the best digital connection service, Meadow Walk has fibre-optic cable to deliver high-speed broadband to each individual apartment.

Winners will be announced in February 2022.

View the full shortlist here: https://housingdigital.co.uk/2022-shortlist/