Cooperation on the project New Homes for Health between Norrköping Science Park, Dreampark and Hyresbostäder i Norrköping AB opens new doors for the tenants of the Ljura residential area.

In the Ljura neighbourhood in Norrköping, New Homes for Health together with the public housing organisation, Hyresbostäder i Norrköping AB have been working on a new information portal which will create even better housing and further improve service for the tenants. Together with Dreampark they have devised a test platform which will give the tenants access to a wide range of uptodate information and user friendly services through clicking on the television’s remote control.

Advantages of a real life test environment
New Homes for Health have access to the residential area of Ljura which is a real life test environment and necessary as part of the company’s work on creating a new portal. Focus is, in the main, on creating new services and products for the elderly and is carried out in close association with the tenants themselves. Safety and user friendly are the key worlds. To meet the needs for increased accessibility to community services a number of involved parties have been cooperating to achieve this, they include the municipality and the county council. At present the test system for the portal is located in the offices of Hyresbostäder in Ljura but is expected to be tested in a home environment later this year. The aim is to develop cost efficient services which improve safety and provide the elderly with the opportunity of staying in their own homes.

- The project New Homes for Health see work on the test portal as a chance to spread information about the project in a test environment. This provides the tenants with the opportunity of seeing the tests in progress but also the opportunity of becoming aware of what is planned and what they actually entail. The tenants can also sign up for the various tests and communicate with the Project Manager. The aim is, through the portal, to launch various services. We see there is a trend which is being established and therefore we require a platform for the various types of services and also as a means of communication. These services will be aimed at different target group but at present the project is mainly focusing on the elderly, says Karin Ahl, Project Manager for New Tools for Health.

Why should Hyresbostäder participate?
- As a public housing organisation Hyresbostäder has a responsibility to create good housing for people of all ages. We need to be accessible, to provide our tenants with information quickly and also to give good and user friendly services with the aim of creating a pleasant environment for our tenants and one in which they wish to enjoy for many years. The intention with this new information portal is to complement existing internet and telephone services and create a safe home environment and further improve communication between tenants, says Martin Callmeryd who is the coordinator at Hyresbostäder i Norrköping AB.

Why television?
- Television is a good means of communication. Most people have a television and they are also easy to use. There are many types of information that are suitable for the television environment. This is especially relevant to our elderly tenants who, we believe, can use the television platform easier than say the internet, says Martin.

Is one satellite receiver enough?
The new information portal has been developed by Dreampark and they are the most installed supplier of IPTV middle ware in Europe. A large number of major television suppliers use Dreamparks’ system which means that the services offered by New Homes for Health is accessible, to a great extent, through a normal satellite receiver. In addition the services do not require any special remote control nor do they have to be downloaded.

- A major force behind this is to create the opportunity for future services which are accessible by all, says Henrik Lindmark at Dreampark.

Housing of the future
Using new “old” techniques in the information portal, housing of the future is being created involving a simple click on the remote control to access a whole list of services. Broadband, television and mobile telephone systems can all be connected together to create an almost endless array of opportunities which provide fast and simple communication. Through the television it will be possible, for example, to book a laundry time, see who is ringing at the door, report a fault in the apartment, and record a television programme by using the mobile phone. It will also be possible to access information from the county council and eventually also contact the chemist.

Involved in New Homes for Health:
Norrköping Science Park, NOSP
New Tools for Health
Hyresbostäder i Norrköping AB
Norrköping Municipality
Östergötland County Council
Ljura Tenants Association – user perspective, housing representative

Today the project uses only “internal” suppliers of services but the aim is to include the following as cooperating partners:
Dreampark AB – at present
Hyresbostäder i Norrköping AB – at present
Norrköping Municipality
Östergötland County Council
Chemist
Private care and health companies providing services within care and health
Authorities involved in new types of services