Spying on Mom
May 2006

Worried about an elderly relative who lives alone? Upset that you can't keep your unblinking eye on her 24 hours a day to ensure she's safe and healthy? Living Independently Group, a three-year-old New York City company, is offering what it bills as the next best thing: sensors throughout her home to keep track of her movements.

Living Independently markets its $80-a-month QuietCare service through its sales force and home-security giant ADT. It has also signed up more than 50 assisted-care facilities and home-care agencies. Its latest coup: Ecumen, an operator of more than 100 senior centers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, recently installed 20 QuietCare systems and plans to add more this year. Living Independently's CEO, John Lakian, 63, says he expects the deal to help bring revenues into the "high seven digits" in 2006. Here's how this system watches over those who need it.

Sensors: Placed throughout the house track the resident's actions- how much time she spends in the bathroom, how often she takes medication, when she wakes up- and wirelessly send the data to a Base Station inside the house.

Every two hours- or sooner in the case of an Emergency- the base station transmits the information to an off-site Server, which checks the data against a profile of her standard behavior. If the server notes a discrepancy, it sends an alert to a family member or other contact via E-mail or a live Operator.